A New Evil
by orcadarwin
Summary: Harry has a wild drunken night and deals with the consequences of that night. Wow! Almost 6500 views and only 3 reviews. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I hope everyone likes this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note : I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with the books or movies. I only own Emily and the plot of this story. **

**A New Evil **

He watched her down her 10th firewhiskey from across the bar. She was absolutely the most beautiful woman he had seen, and it wasn't the alcohol talking. Her long red hair hung well past her waist in soft ringlets. She smiled at the bartender whenever he brought her another drink, and that smile lit up the room. Trying to gather enough courage to go talk to her, he downed another drink himself. Her green eyes shone with light and laughter as the alcohol calmed her. He had seen her come in to the bar, and she was angry, well, more than angry, she was pissed off. He tossed back another drink and stood up from his chair. Straightening his robe and his glasses, he walked towards where she sat at the bar. The bartender nodded to him and scurried off to serve another customer. He approached her, "Mind if I sit here?" he asked.

She swung her head in his direction, her eyes unfocused. She couldn't really see him; the firewhiskey was taking a toll on her. "Sure, knock yourself out, whoever you are." She slurred.

Taking the stool next to her, he motioned for another drink from the bartender. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked her.

"Sure, I'd love another." She nodded.

The bartender brought both of the drinks to them and left. "So, what are you trying to drown? Or is it who?" he asked after tossing his drink back.

She tossed her back and laughed, "Is it that obvious? I'm pissed at my family. Stupid power hungry people they are. Arranging a marriage for me without my knowledge or my consent; and to someone I completely detest with my entire being, no less. If they think I'm just going to calmly walk up the aisle and marry that cretin, they have another think coming. I refuse and I've come thousands of miles to get away from them."

He nodded, "My girlfriend of 5 years just broke up with me. Said she found someone she likes better. Turns out she's been seeing him for the past year."

"You seem like a likable fellow. It's her loss, forget about her." She said, her words slurring together as she knocked back another drink. She had lost count of how many drinks she had taken, and really didn't care. Right now, she was feeling great and had no cares in the world. This really cute guy was here talking to her and she couldn't be happier.

"So, is there any way you can get out of the marriage?" he asked, motioning for the bartender again.

"Only one way, and it's not likely to happen. I have to get pregnant by someone else in order to break the contract." She explained.

He nodded, thinking. _'I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with her. Wonder if she'd go for it.' _Speaking up, "Well, I can help you out with that, if you want." Looking at her, he hoped she wouldn't reject him.

She looked at him seriously for a moment, "I can't ask that of you. I couldn't ask that of anyone." Throwing back another firewhiskey, she wobbled on the stool.

He placed a hand on her arm to steady her and then trailed his fingers up to her shoulder, "You're not asking, I'm offering." He said, as his fingers tangled in her hair. To any reporters in the room, he appeared to be just some guy hitting on a girl, not the famous person that he was. Reporters could never find him, ever since his friend had invented that charm to conceal themselves from certain people. His fingers found a sensitive spot on her neck and she shivered slightly at the contact. Words were left unspoken as he lowered his lips onto hers and they both shivered at the contact. They slowly stood and supporting each other, he apparated them to his flat after leaving money on the bar for their drinks.

Casting the protection wards around his flat, he saw her looking around, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Chuckling, he finished his spells and turned towards her. She looked so beautiful, so yummy in the black cocktail dress that she was wearing. The straps kept falling off her shoulders and the slit in the side went right up to her hip.

Growling, he grasped her shoulders and walked her backwards to the wall. Pushing his body against hers, he pinned her there, lowering his mouth and crushing his lips down on hers. He heard her groan and felt her hands move to his shoulders. Soon, she was pulling him closer and he was obliging. She parted her lips to allow his tongue entry, and their tongues sparred with each other for control. He removed one hand from her shoulder and trailed in down her arm to the hem of her skirt, finding the slit, he slipped his hand inside onto the smooth skin of her thigh. Her hands moved to his head and gripped both hands full of the dark hair. She was giving as good as she was getting. He lifted his head to catch his breath and looked into her eyes. Seeing that she was in agreement, his hands found the hem of her dress and lifted it over her head, leaving her in only a thin piece of lace covering her most private place. He took in her beautiful curves and bare breasts before picking her up and carrying her to his bed. Setting her down, she pushes his hands away and reaches for his robe. Removing it, she removes his shirt and begins to place kisses on his bare chest, twirling her tongue in sensitive places, making him hiss with delight. Sucking in his breath, he growled, "Woman, you're going to end this before we even get started."

She grinned, removing her lips from his skin as her hands moved to the waistband of his jeans. He captured her hands and pulled them away before she could unfasten the top button. "Not yet, first I get to see all of you." He said as he pulled at the wisp of lace around her hips. Yanking, the band snapped and they fell to the floor, leaving her with only her natural beauty before him. His eyes roamed over her and settled on her eyes. Putting his hands on her hips, he pulled her to him and then toppled them both onto the bed as he kissed her sensuous lips. Pulling away, he began to trail kisses down her neck, stopping at sensitive spots for a moment before moving on. Taking a nipple in his mouth, he began to tease it bringing it out. Smiling at her intake of breath, he switched to the other breast and repeated the teasing. Continuing on down her body, he kissed every inch of exposed flesh, stopping here and there to tease a sensitive spot that made her squirm. Hearing her exclaims and hisses was about to unhinge him. He quickly stood and removed his jeans, leaving himself naked. Moving over her, he heard her sharp gasp as he settled between her thighs and entered her. He sighed and began moving rhythmically, bringing them both to heights they had never experienced before. Muttering a fertility charm (this was the point after all); he stiffened as he released himself into her. She shuddered as she felt his warmth and clenched around him. Collapsing onto her, their ragged breathing was the only sound in the room.

As their breathing slowed, he felt himself stirring again inside of her. Shocked at himself, he heard her giggle slightly. Pushing himself up onto his forearms, he framed her face with his hands. Kissing her gently, he felt her raise her hips up to take him even deeper inside. Growling, he began moving again, never releasing her lips. He felt her stiffen slightly and nip at his bottom lip and then felt her clenching around him again, making him lose control and release himself into her once more. Rolling onto his side, he brought her with him. Breathing ragged again, they stared at each other. After several moments, she moved from the bed to make a trip to the bathroom. After using the toilet, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, her body sported a slight burn from his the stubble on his chin. The effects of the alcohol were beginning to wear off, she could almost think coherently.

Returning to the bedroom, she saw him lying there with a grin and a glass in both hands, waiting for her return. She grinned and made her way back to him, climbing onto his lap, and reaching for a glass. She sniffed the drink, making sure it was firewhiskey; she wasn't sure she could handle anything else. Smelling something a bit off with it, she looked at him quizzically. "Conception potion. That is the point of this, right?" he told her.

Giggling, she threw the potion to the back of her throat and coughed slightly as it burned a little. He then handed her the other glass, being firewhiskey, and reached for his glass on the table by the bed. Seeing her sitting on his lap, both naked was causing him to stir again. She felt him bump against her and smiled, rising slightly to take his length in again. Seeing his eyes widened, she began to move with a sly smile on her face. It was her turn to dominate. She teased and brought him almost to the brink before stopping and allowing him to calm down a bit, then bringing him back to the brink again several times before letting him tumble over the cliff with her. It felt so amazing that she let out a great moan and sigh as she felt him throb and heard him cast another fertility charm just to help out the potion. He was determined to help her end the arranged marriage. She slipped off of him and lay beside him with her head on his chest. Their breathing slowing, soon they were both asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunlight shone through the window as she opened her eyes. Feeling a bit disoriented, she turned onto her back and felt the presence of someone beside her. Her eyes widened as she turned her head to look at him, taking in his dark hair and handsome features, including the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Sitting up sharply, she gasped, _'Holy shit. It's Harry Potter. I just spent the night with Harry Potter and he was determined to get me pregnant.'_ She thought to herself. Casting a silencing charm over him so that he wouldn't hear her moving around, she got out of bed and dressed, then disapparated to her own flat. Replacing her wards, she made her way to the shower. Turning on the water to warm, she went into her bedroom and started some music to play in the background as she took her shower. Back in the bathroom, she undressed and stepped into the shower, yelping as the hot water stung her. The burns from his stubble stinging more than anything else, she smiled remembering how careful and loving he was. She wondered if he realized that she was gone yet.

Harry awoke in his bed, alone. Glancing around, he realized that his alarm was going off but he couldn't hear it. Swearing, he removed the silencing charm and shut off his alarm. He knew she was gone. Putting on his glasses, he threw back the covers and headed for the shower. _'Man that was an amazing night. Even though we were both drunk and decided to get her pregnant.'_ As he was washing his hair, his hands stopped in mid-air. _'Oh shit, we were trying to get her pregnant. What the bloody hell came over me to suggest something like that? Oh yeah, her marriage contract, her getting pregnant is the only way to get out of it. But bloody hell, I performed a fertility charm twice and she drank a conception potion.'_ Letting the water run down over his face, his mind raced. _'I don't even know her name.'_ he told himself. Maybe nothing took effect, maybe the fertility potion was a dud and the charms didn't work. There was no way in hell he was going to let a child of his into this world without knowing him. He had to find her. Figuring that the bartender was his first step on that mission, he finished his shower and dressed.

Arriving in the bar a few hours later when it opened, he found the bartender from the night before. "Excuse me, do you remember me from last night?" he asked.

"Sure, you disappeared with that gorgeous red head." The bartender smiled and nodded.

"You wouldn't happen to know her name, would you?" Harry asked him.

The bartender looked at him strangely for a moment, "You didn't get her name?" Then shaking his head, he said, "No, I never heard her say a name. She was trying to forget something, I know that. Downing those firewhiskeys like they were water."

Harry nodded, frustrated that this had gotten him nowhere. "Thanks." Turning, he left the bar and wandered out into Diagon Alley. _'Now how do I find her?'_ he asked himself. He couldn't very well be found lurking around the streets looking at everyone who passed him. She was obviously a witch, having cast that silencing charm on him this morning. _'Maybe Hermione will know how I can find her.' _He thought. With a new resolve, he disapparated to the ministry where he would find his two best friends, Hermione and Ron. They had married soon after the war was over and were actually extremely happy with each other. He was happy for them, and wished he could have that. He thought he and Ginny were happy, but apparently she wasn't, since she had just dumped him for some big Quidditch star. Walking through the halls of his workplace, he stopped at Hermione's office. Relieved to find her alone, he stuck his head in the door, "Hey, Hermione, can we talk? Privately." He asked.

Hermione looked up from her work and smiled. "Of course, Harry, come in." When he had entered the room, she magically locked the door and cast silencing spells on the room to keep anyone from overhearing their conversation. "Are you alright, Harry, you look conflicted?" she asked, concerned for her friend.

"Well, yeah, I am conflicted. I'm sure you know by know what happened last night. Ginny broke up with me for some guy on the Quidditch team with her." Harry began.

"No, I didn't know that. I'm so sorry, Harry, I know you love her." Hermione said, handing flying to her mouth in shock.

"Yeah, I did love her, but I don't think I do anymore. She's been seeing him for over a year now. Anyway, I found myself in the pub last night after that, trying to drown all the memories and the pain. I saw this girl come in and sit down at the bar. I watched her for a while, watched her throw back at least a dozen glasses of firewhiskey. Finally, I got up the courage to talk to her. I was feeling a bit reckless; the drinks were working on me. We talked for a while, and before I knew it we were back in my flat having amazing sex. She was pissed at her family for arranging a marriage for her. The only way out of the contract that her father had made is for her to get pregnant with another man's child. Well, when she told me this, I offered my services. Yeah, like I said, the drinks were working on me. So, anyway, we had a full night of amazing, unadulterated sex. I even gave her a conception potion and cast a fertility charm twice to ensure that she did conceive. When I woke up this morning, I found that she had cast a silencing charm on me and disappeared." Harry stopped speaking and looked at Hermione to see a look of pure shock on her face.

"Harry, this is so not like you." She whispered.

"I know. Like I said, we both were wasted. I don't even remember how many glasses of firewhiskey I had, I'm pretty sure she had about two dozen by the time we got to my flat. I don't even know her name. Hermione, I can't leave a child of mine without a father. If she did get pregnant last night, how will I know? Do I stake out the hospital and ambush her when she comes in for a test in a few weeks? How do I find her?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, Harry. If she left before you woke up, maybe she made up that story so that you would have sex with her and she could get pregnant with your child. Make a name for herself, so to speak." She said softly.

"I thought of that, but I really don't think that was the case. I believe that she was telling me the truth. All that firewhiskey she drank was doing a number on her. The bartender told me that she was drinking the strongest bottles he had in stock. I'm not even sure why she left so suddenly this morning." He said, putting his head in his hands. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Well, Harry, I don't know of any way to find out who she is or where she's from. You are certain that she didn't mention a name of any kind?" she asked.

"I'm sure; I've looked at my memories over and over from the moment she walked into the pub. She never said any name whatsoever. I'm pretty sure she was American, though. She did say that she had travelled a long way to get away from her family." Harry told her.

"I don't know what to tell you Harry. Can you let me see what she looks like? I don't want to see all the details from your flat, just what she looked like in the pub." She asked, raising her wand.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead. She was one beautiful woman." He nodded and allowed Hermione to extract the memory from his head. Walking over to the pensive, she tipped her wand into the silvery liquid, watching it swirl. Lowering her head, she placed her face in the liquid and was transported to the pub from the night before. Watching from Harry's point of view, she saw the girl he was talking about. Realization struck her and she gasped. _'Oh, wow. Do I tell Harry that he bedded Emily Romano, the heir to the Romano mafia family? He is in so much trouble if they find out.'_ She pulled her head out of the pensive and siphoned Harry's memory out of it and back into his own head. Looking worried, she sat down at her desk again.

"You know something, I can tell by the look on your face." Harry said, sitting on the edge of the chair.


	3. Chapter 3

Sighing, Hermione nodded, "I recognize her. She's only the most talked about model/designer in the fashion industry. Her name is really big right now because she went into hiding. Her name is Emily Romano, and yes, she is American. She's the one and only child of Stephan Romano, a big mafia boss in Chicago. I always had a feeling he was magical, no one can come by that much power without some kind of magic. He pretty much owns America and several other countries in the world. He rivals Voldemort in his views about supremacy." She explained while typing on her computer to find out most of that information. "He wants all muggles killed, so that only magic remains, pureblood magic, that is."

Harry gaped at her. "Oh, wow, and here I thought we were done with evil wizards." Looking at Hermione, "What's a mafia boss?" he asked.

"Well, he's kind of like a leader of a gang. There's lots of violence associated with the mafia, as well as muggle drugs. He's not someone to mess with. He holds a lot of power over the government officials, which is how he possesses so much power over the muggles." Hermione explained.

Harry ran a hand over his face, "What the bloody hell did I get myself in to here? I just thought she was a beautiful woman out looking for a good time."

"Well, you were right about that Harry. She was looking for a good time, something to take her mind off her family and the arranged marriage. The marriage was announced yesterday, and it's to another mafia family. She must have been trying to get away from them, not wanting anything to do with their ways." She suggested.

"Maybe. What do I do if she does turn up pregnant?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, Harry. The first thing you need to do is find her and talk to her." Hermione said as she saw Ron banging on her office door. Harry turned at her smile and nodded his head that their discussion was concluded.

Ron entered the room, "What's the meaning of you being locked in my wife's office with her, and a silencing charm on the room?" he bellowed good-naturedly. He would never think that Harry and Hermione were having an affair. "What's up?"

"Nothing, right Hermione?" Harry said, shaking his head slightly. He didn't want anyone else to know what had transpired last night.

"Right, we were just talking about a case and didn't want to be overheard." She nodded.

Ron looked between them and knew that they were hiding something, but he didn't press the issue. He had come to take his wife to lunch. "Ready, Hermione? I'm starving."

"Yes, Ron. When are you anything but starving?" she laughed at her husband.

"I'm not that bad." He pouted.

"Yeah, you are." Harry piped up.

"Hey, you want to join us, Harry?" Ron asked.

"No, that's okay. You're probably going to the one place that I would rather not be right now. Your sister did a number on my heart." Harry said, looking down at his feet.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that mate. She told mum last night and mum went ballistic. Yelled at her for over an hour about breaking your heart." He told his friend.

"Yeah, well, I suppose it's for the best." Harry said and turned to leave the office, heading for his own, figuring he might as well try to get some work done. Dejected, Harry began to work on a new case and soon the incident of the night before was in the back of his mind. Not gone, just pushed aside for a while until he had time to bring it back forward and think about it.

A couple of months went by, time passing in what felt like the blink of an eye for Harry. He was so caught up in the case he was working that he didn't notice the passing of each day.

Out in the muggle side of London, Emily opened her shop every morning and closed it every evening with only one thing on her mind; the fact that she had had sex with Harry Potter, the most famous wizard of the time. About two months after the night in question, she closed up her bakery early to make a trip to St. Mungo's. Today was about the tenth day in a row that she had thrown up for no reason, just the smell of some of the sweets in the shop. Arriving at the hospital, she informed the receptionist of her issue and was directed to the third floor. Finding the room she needed, she sat down to wait.

"Miss Romano, if you will follow me please." A Healer appeared soon after she sat down. Emily followed her into an office. "My name is Healer Michaels, what seems to be the problem?"

"Well, for the past week and a half, I have been nauseated and thrown up for no reason. Just a smell will hit me the wrong way. I've been tired a lot lately and just feeling run down in general." Emily told the healer.

"Hmm… sounds like you may be pregnant. Let me run a scan and take a look." The healer said.

Emily knew that the healer was right. You don't just cast the fertility charm and take a conception potion and not expect to get pregnant. "Sure." She said.

The healer rounded the desk, holding out her wand. The tip of the wand glowed yellow as she waved it over Emily. Upon reaching her abdomen, the wand glowed bright green, indicating pregnancy. Nodding, the healer smiled, "Yep, you are pregnant. Not too far along, I don't think."

"8 weeks." Emily said, knowing exactly when it had taken place.

"Okay, well, you would be the one to know. Here are some potions that you should take every day. They will help with the nausea and tiredness. Come back and see me in 4 weeks. No apparating, only travel by floo or broom." Healer Michaels said, handing her a small case filled with vials of a green potion.

"Thank you." Emily said, getting up to leave. She walked out of the hospital and squinted in the bright sunlight out on the muggle street in London. Lost in her thoughts, she wandered around and found herself in the Leaky Cauldron. Asking for the use of the floo network, she sighed and spoke the words she never thought she would say, "Ministry of Magic." Green flames leapt around her and she began to spin. Coming to a stop soon, she stepped out of the fireplace at the ministry, holding her stomach to quiet the nausea that the spinning had caused, and looked around to get her bearings. Where would she find him? Spying a desk at the end of the corridor, she began walking towards it. "I would like to speak with Harry Potter." She said to the young witch behind the desk.

"I'm sorry. You can't just walk in here and ask to speak with the head Auror. He's a very busy man. He has no time for idle chit chat." The woman said, nastily.

"Well, I'm sorry, but this is extremely important. I have to speak with him, now." Emily said, her voice steadily getting louder.

"There is no need to shout, lady. There is no way that you are going to speak with him. I won't allow it." The woman said.

"Look here, woman…" Emily began and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Romano, if you will follow me, I will take you to Harry." Hermione had noticed her when she entered the ministry. She knew exactly who she was and what she was here for.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily turned to her and recognized her immediately. She nodded and followed Hermione to the lifts. Once inside, she turned to Hermione, "How do you know me?"

"I researched a lot in school and read all about your family. Very fascinating." She answered.

"Great. Here I thought I was going to remain anonymous in London." Emily sighed.

"Well, you probably are, I believe it's just me and Harry that know. He came to me the day after your… encounter." Hermione told her.

Emily stared at her, "He told you?" she asked.

"Well, he asked my advice on how to find you. He didn't want a child of his to grow up without him in their life. He never really had a family, and he doesn't want that for any child he helps to bring into this world. He didn't know who you were, though, until I saw his memory from the pub and told him what I knew about you and your family." Hermione said as they stepped off the lift and began walking down the corridor. She stopped in front of a door in the middle of the hallway. "Here we are." Knocking, she heard him mutter admittance and she opened the door. "Harry, you have a visitor."

Stepping aside, Hermione allowed Emily to enter the room. He stood up so quickly that he knocked his chair over. "Emily." He whispered.

Emily nodded and Hermione stepped out of the room and closed the door. She cast a silencing charm on the room so that the conversation wasn't overheard. Harry just stared at her. _'Man, she's even more beautiful when I'm sober.'_ He thought to himself as he felt a funny sensation in the pit of his stomach. He knew why she was here, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about this.

Emily stared back at him, _'Wow, he's freaking gorgeous,'_ she thought, looking him over. Clearing her throat, she began to speak, "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

He nodded, "Apparently, it worked." Thinking back to that night, he couldn't think of why it wouldn't have worked.

"Yes, I just found out about an hour ago for sure. I wanted you to know." She said.

"How did you know where to find me? How did you know who I was?" he asked, afraid that his fame was the only reason that night had happened.

"Honestly, Harry, I didn't know who you were until I woke up the next morning. I was so totally wasted that I barely knew who I was. When I woke up and saw you lying there next to me, I freaked. You are very recognizable, you should know that. Even without the scar, people know who you are." She explained.

"Why did you leave?" he asked, not really knowing why he was asking.

"I was scared. I didn't know how you would react to finding me in your bed. I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't even really sure what happened until I got back to my flat and pulled out my memories to see what happened. I was very embarrassed by what I saw. I've never acted like that before. I don't know what came over me." She rushed through her words.

"I wondered if you knew who I was that night, but I didn't care if you did. I only wanted to help you out, and you were, are, so beautiful. It frightened me a little, I thought you'd turn me away, but you didn't." he told her.

"So, what do we do now? I'm not asking anything of you, Harry. I can take care of myself and the child." She said.

Harry was distracted, looking out his office door, he saw Ron yelling at his secretary, flailing his arms and looking angry. "How about we have dinner tonight and we can discuss this?" he asked.

Emily nodded, "Okay. Where and what time?"

"I'm not sure what time; can I pick you up somewhere?" Harry asked.

Thinking, Emily decided to tell him about her shop. "You can find me at the bakery on the corner down from the Leaky Cauldron on the muggle street. The only one there." She said and turned to leave. Harry rushed past her to the door, flinging it open, he undid the silencing charm.

"Ron, what the bloody hell are you doing yelling at my secretary?" he yelled. Emily slipped past him, unnoticed by Ron. The red haired Ron turned to his friend, gaping.

"She wouldn't let me in your office. Said you were in a meeting, and I had to wait." He told Harry.

Harry shook his head, "Ron, I was in a meeting. A very important one that you interrupted with all your shouting at an innocent secretary who was doing her job. Now, what is it that's so important that couldn't wait 10 minutes for me to finish? Estella, I'm very sorry for my friend and co-worker's rude behavior. It won't happen again." Harry addressed his secretary and ushered Ron into his office.

Ron's face turned beet red with embarrassment and being called out by his best friend on his behavior. "Who were you in a meeting with?" Ron asked.

"That is not your concern, Ron. It's a very confidential matter. What is it that you needed to discuss with me?" Harry told him. Ron wouldn't understand him having this one-night stand and the consequences that have evolved from it. Ron would see it as a slight on his sister and that wouldn't be good for either of them right now. They were already walking a thin line in their friendship, ever since Ginny had broken up with Harry.

"Well…" Ron began and explained what his purpose was to Harry. Harry, as the head Auror and Ron's boss, listened patiently and interjected his opinion every now and again. All business now, Harry had pushed Emily and the child to the back of his mind until later. Ron left and Harry resumed his paperwork, trying to clear his desk by a decent hour so that he could meet with Emily in private somewhere.

Hermione knocked on his door a bit after 7 in the evening. "Come in, Hermione." He called out.

"Hey, you going home any time soon?" she asked of her friend.

"Yeah, well not home exactly. I'm meeting Emily for dinner." He told her.

"So, she is?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, she is. That would be the only reason for her to show up here out of the blue. We didn't get much time to talk, because Ron showed up ranting at Estella because I was in a meeting." Harry sighed. He wished his friend would get over the breakup of Harry and Ginny.

"Let me know if I can help with anything, Harry." Hermione said and left the office.

After finishing the paper he was working on, Harry stood and stretched. Striding to the fireplace in his office, he turned around, waving his wand, and locked the door and put out the lights. Throwing some powder into the fire, it flared green and he stepped into it calling, "The Leaky Cauldron." He felt himself spinning and watched to make sure he got out at the right place. Even after all these years, he still hated travelling by floo. Landing in the dining area of the pub, he nodded to Tom the innkeeper and strode out of the bar into the muggle street. Looking both ways, he spotted the bakery Emily had told him about. He began walking, keeping a sharp eye out for any dangers. He approached the bakery and saw her standing behind the counter, rolling her hands together.

Hearing the door open, she looked up with a smile on her face, ready to greet the customer. Seeing Harry, the smile faded for a fraction of a second and then brightened even more. "Hello, Harry. I was wondering if you'd make it tonight."

"Hello, Emily. I'm here, but I'm not sure it's going to be safe to talk out in public." Harry said.

"That's okay, we can go to my place and I'll cook something. It's not far, just let me put this away and close up." She told him, picking up a pan of something that looked like meatballs, but not quite.

"What are those?" he asked, curious.

Laughing, "Cake pops. Well, they will be once I get them done. Muggles love them, it's just a bit of cake rolled into a ball and the put on a lollipop stick and dipped in candy. I enjoy making them, but they are time consuming." She explained.

"Brilliant." He said as she disappeared through the swinging door to the back of the bakery. "Won't your boss be upset if you close up early?" he called out.

"I own the place, Harry. I can leave whenever I feel like it." She chuckled as she re-entered the front of the shop. Waving her hand, the blinds were pulled down, the door locked and the lights went out except for one right above the door. "Follow me." She said and led the way towards a set of stairs that he hadn't noticed before. Harry followed intrigued, climbing the stairs behind her, watching the way her hips swung slightly as she walked. _'Stop it!'_ he admonished himself.


	5. Chapter 5

She opened a door at the top of the stairs and led the way into her flat. "Oh, you live above your shop. I should have known." He said.

"Yes, the flat is protected by charms and spells, but the shop is not. You can't see the stairway unless I approach it first. No one knows that this place exists." Emily explained as she made her way into the kitchen, kicking off her shoes at the door. Harry followed her. "Have a seat, it won't take long to whip something up." She told him as she began waving her wand setting food flying into pans and plates and cutlery soaring to the table. He liked that she could multitask like that, it reminded him of Mrs. Weasley. He remained silent as she prepared the food and soon the kitchen had the most appetizing aroma swirling around. His mouth watered and his stomach growled, reminding him that lunch was well over 7 hours ago. She placed the food on the table and sat opposite him.

"Help yourself, Harry." She said, passing a plate of food to him. He accepted it and spooned some out onto his own plate before handing it back to her. They filled their plates and began to eat in silence. "You know, Harry. You don't have to do this. We don't have to be friends or anything. You can still be a part of the child's life if you want." Emily stated.

"I don't want to be a weekend dad, Emily. I never knew my parents growing up. I had to depend on my awful aunt and uncle for my needs and they were rarely ever met. I won't do that to my child. I won't have my child growing up without a father and mother." He told her.

"Well, then, what do we do about this?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I just know that we are in this together." He whispered, looking into her beautiful bright green eyes. A light tapping got their attention from staring at each other. Emily looked over at the window and saw an owl tapping its beak on the window to be let in. She waved her hand and the window opened to allow the owl to sail to her at the table. She took the letter from his beak and he flew away, the window closing behind him as he left. Recognizing the letter to be a howler, she knew immediately who it was from, her father. Harry's eyes widened when he recognized the howler. "I sent an owl to my father earlier. This means he's not happy and he's not in America. The reply came back too quickly." She told him.

Opening it, she cringed and waited for the yelling to commence. _'Girl, you had better be joking that you are pregnant with some stranger's spawn! I haven't spent all this time lobbying with the Gustavo family for you to become Todd's bride for nothing. I won't have you ruining this! This family is too important for you to throw everything away like that. We need an heir to the family name, and this is the only way we will get it. You are not allowed to consort with anyone before the wedding and after that you are only allowed to consort with Todd. You get yourself back here this instant, girl! I won't have your insubordination any longer! You are disgracing this family and I won't allow it!'_ her father's voice was loud and demanding in the small flat, as the howler went up in smoke and was reduced to ashes.

"Well, he sounds charming." Harry said softly.

"Yeah, a real prince." She scoffed. "He's not even my biological father, so his blood won't even live on after he dies."

"What do you mean? You were adopted?" he asked.

Emily laughed, thinking about the news her mother told her soon after she turned 16. "No, my father and mother were very much in love when they got married. For years, they tried and tried to have a baby. Nothing worked. He blamed her, always, and they would fight. Then after 6 years of trying, she finally got pregnant. They were happy again for a while, until she had me. Seeing a girl, instead of the boy he was expecting sent him into a rage. He beat her right there in the hospital. No one dared stop him. What he didn't know was that he injured her in a way that made it impossible for her to have more children. After more years of trying and trying, he started finding other women to do the job for him. He wanted a son to carry on his name, and all he had was me. Well, he failed to get any of the dozens of women he took to his bed pregnant. Turns out he was shooting blanks." She stopped talking, remembering her mother's words. "When I turned 16, my mother told me that I wasn't his blood daughter. She had taken up with the chauffeur and that's how she ended up pregnant with me. Father was furious when he found out that he couldn't father children. That got him to wondering about me. When he found out, he killed my mother in a blind rage and turned his wand on me, but I was quicker and more powerful than he was. I got away and haven't been back. He thinks I don't know that he's not my real father."

"Well, then, the marriage arrangement that he's made isn't legal and binding." Harry stated.

"Oh, no, he made sure of that. He had it written in a way that binds me to it no matter. The only thing that can get me out of it… well, you helped in that aspect." She said, placing a hand upon her stomach. The dishes were removed from the table and the food was put away. They went into the living room and sat down to talk more. "He doesn't believe me, and he's been searching for me. It won't be pretty when he finds me."

"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." He whispered as he casually draped his arm on the back of the couch, almost touching her shoulder. "I want to get to know you better, and I suppose the best way to do that is to actually go out on a date. I know we are doing this backwards, but that's the hand we've been dealt." He added, finding a stray curl of her hair with his fingers and absentmindedly twirling it.

She smiled, "That's sweet, Harry. I'll be fine, though. You don't have to do this."

"I want to," Harry said, leaning forward slightly. Her breath hitched as he drew nearer to her. He was going to kiss her, was she going to let him. Not realizing what she was doing, she leaned towards him and met him halfway. He brushed his lips against hers in a tender kiss, and then growling, he swooped back down for more. She tasted exactly as he remembered, like Heaven. Pulling back, he smiled, "Better slow down or we'll have another night like before. Not that I don't want that, mind you, but I think we should take things slow."

She laughed, "Harry, we're already expecting a child together, I don't think it could get much faster than that."

He stood, pulling her with him. "It's late, I should be going. Will you be okay? Let me know if you need anything?" he said.

She nodded, "I'll be fine. I'm good for now; the healer gave me a case of potions to take each day. You can use the floo, if you want."

He placed his forehead against hers and sighed. "I don't really want to go, but if I stay I can't promise that things will stay plutonic." Turning to the fireplace, he tossed in some powder and said, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place." She watched him disappear from the green flames and sighed. Things just got more confusing. She slowly made her way to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later, Emily received an owl at the bakery. She served muggles as well as wizards, so her owls came to the back of the shop where no one could see. She took the letter the snowy white owl had in her beak and opened it, noticing that the owl remained.

_Emily,_

_ Please allow me to escort you to a dinner party tonight. Dress is formal._

_ Harry_

She smiled and knew that the owl was waiting for her reply. She took a quill and parchment out of her desk and wrote,

_Harry,_

_ I would love to accompany you to the dinner; however, I do not have a formal dress. Sorry._

_ Emily._

Smiling, she rolled the note up and placed it in the owl's beak. The owl took flight and she went back to work on a cake she was making. Smiling and humming to herself, she wondered how he would take the response. Oh, she could go out and buy a dress herself, she just wanted to see how serious he was about this whole dating thing. Finishing the cake, she placed it in the cooler to await the customer for pick up. Pulling another order sheet down, she got started on the cupcakes for that order. Baking always made her smile; she loved creating something with her hands. Yeah, she could use magic to make the things, but she loved doing it all by hand. Occasionally someone would need something right then, so she would have to revert to using magic, but that wasn't often. Once the cupcakes were in the oven, she started on another order.

Harry saw Hedwig coming; he was waiting for her to return with Emily's response. Letting her in the window, he took the letter from her and read it. A smile spread across his face, and an idea popped into his head. Throwing some powder into the fire, he stepped in and left the office. Stepping out of the fire at the Leaky Cauldron, he walked out the back and tapped the wall, revealing the entrance to Diagon Alley. Walking purposely down the street, he stopped in front of a dress shop. The bell on the door clanged as he opened it, alerting the clerk to a customer. He watched her come around the counter. "Pansy, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm good, Harry, how are you?" she said, drawing him into a hug. Since the war ended, prejudices were forgotten and former enemies had become friends. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have a dinner party tonight and my date needs a formal dress." He said with a smile.

"Your date? Who is this mystery woman?" she asked, leading him to a rack of dresses. "Tell me about her."

"Yes, I have a date. She has bright red hair, not like the Weasleys, more red. Beautiful bright green eyes and a body that…" he stopped, blushing a little.

"Okay, I get it. How about this?" she held up a black dress that reached the floor.

His eyes lit up as he thought about Emily in that dress. "Perfect. Wrap it up." He said with a smile. Pansy nodded and went into the back to put the dress in a box. Tying a bow around the box, she walked back out front to join Harry.

"Here you go, Harry. I hope she likes it. I put some shoes in there as well." She said, handing him the box.

"Thanks, Pansy, you're the best." After paying for the dress and shoes, he left the shop and went back to the Leaky Cauldron. Hoping that Emily would be in the shop, he called out the name of her flat above the shop when he entered the floo. Nothing happened. He called out the name again, and again nothing happened. Shrugging his shoulders, he called out his office and was swept up into the green flames. Stepping out into his office, he called Hedwig over and attached a note to the box, asking her to deliver it to Emily.

Emily was frosting the cupcakes when she heard a thump in her office. Looking around quizzically, she made her way there and opened the door to find a snowy white owl taking flight out of the window. On her desk was a white box tied up with a red bow. Cautiously, she stepped over to it and took the note attached.

_Emily,_

_ Voila! One formal dress. Be ready at 7._

_ Harry_

Smiling, she opened the box to find a black sequined dress in the white paper. Replacing the lid to the box, she went back out front to finish her work. It was already 4:30, and she would need a shower. Finishing the cupcakes, she packed them up and set the in the cooler for the night. After closing up the shop, she noticed that it was now 5:30 and she would have very little time to get ready. Climbing the stairs with the dress in her hands, she smiled, wondering why Harry was so adamant that they be a couple. Entering her bedroom, she waved her hand and music filled the air, a soft jazz number. She started the shower and stepped in, letting the hot water rush over her and relax her. Thinking of time, she washed her hair and body and then stepped out into the steamy room. Wiping a towel over the mirror, she began to dry off and comb out her curls. Saying a drying spell, she dried her hair quickly and began to tame the curls into soft ringlets. She often wondered why she didn't cut her hair, but she loved it long like this. Sweeping it up into a ribbon, it hung past her shoulders down the middle of her back. Checking the time, she realized that she only had half an hour to finish getting ready. She scrubbed her face and debated on putting on a small amount of make-up. Vetoing that idea quickly, she brushed her teeth and then stepped out into the bedroom. After putting on her stockings, she lifted the dress out of the box and gasped at how beautiful it was. It sparkled in the light every time it moved. Finding the bottom hem of the dress, she slipped it over her head, careful not to mess up her hair. The soft silky material slid down her body and hugged her curves, flaring onto the floor a little at her feet. There was a slit in the left side, going right up to about mid-thigh. Her left shoulder was left bare as it settled into place, held up by the strap over her right shoulder.

Moving over to the full length mirror, she giggled slightly at the image. She looked stunning and was very interested to see what Mr. Potter thought about her. She didn't have long to wait as he arrived in her bedroom just then. Stopping short at the door, he stared at her, gaping. "Wow" he whispered.

Concerned at his reaction, "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Shaking his head, "No, absolutely nothing is wrong. Everything is perfect. You look amazing. I knew you would in that dress."

Emily smiled at him, her face lighting up. "Where is it that we are going?" she asked.

"Not far from here, over in Diagon Alley. Are you ready?" Harry asked.

"Just let me get my shoes." She answered, picking up the black strap heels that came with the dress. She balanced on one foot and put each on; they magically adjusted to her size. Straightening up, she took the few steps to close the distance between them. They were exactly the same height now. She looked him over, "You look dashing, Harry. What's the occasion for this formal dinner party?" she asked.

"Just something the ministry does every year to welcome new employees." He replied.


	7. Chapter 7

He took a deep breath and she knew that he was about to apparate. "I can't, Harry. The healer told me no apparating."

"Oh. I guess we can walk then, can you walk in those shoes?" he asked.

"Sure, lead the way." She answered, looking at him with her head tilted sideways. "I am a model, you know, I walk the runway in worse heels than this." She said, letting him lead the way down the stairs and out through the shop into the street. After locking the door behind her, she waved her hand and he noticed the enchantments appear around the bakery. He offered his arm for her to take for the walk to the dinner party. She took his arm and smiled at him. He led them through the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley. Walking past the shops and almost out of the small community, she saw where they were headed. A huge house sat up on a hill, just outside of Diagon Alley. The windows of the house were lit by candles and the walkway had floating fairy lights lining it. They approached the house and he rang the bell. The door was opened magically, and as they stepped over the threshold their names were announced.

"Miss Emily Avery escorted by Mr. Harry Potter." A voice said. They were late in arriving, since they had to walk, so the room was fairly full. Ron and Hermione turned when they heard Harry's name. Ron's mouth gaped open as he took in the sight of the beautiful woman on Harry's arm.

"Who's that?" he hissed to his wife. Hermione just smiled at him, knowing that Harry did not want Ron to know the relationship between the two just yet.

"Well, I believe her name is Emily Avery and she appears to be Harry's date for the party." She told her husband.

"Where did he meet her?" Ron asked.

"I'm afraid you will have to ask Harry that." Hermione said with a sigh, knowing that her husband wouldn't stop until he got answers, and the ones he was looking for would make him angry with Harry. She wished her husband would see that he can still be friends with Harry and still love his sister at the same time, even though the two had broken up.

Harry was greeted by the minister and then he began making the rounds of the room, his arm around Emily's waist never leaving her. She smiled and muttered 'nice to meet you' to dozens of people, and wondered how she would keep them all straight. They stepped over to Ron and Hermione. "These are my two best friends, Ron and Hermione Weasley. We've been together through a lot. This is Emily, guys." Harry introduced them and watched a look of confusion run over Ron's face. "You can't expect me to remain alone, Ron. Your sister moved on a long time ago, don't you think it's time to move past it ourselves?"

_'Oh, crap, this must be the brother of the girl who cheated on him.'_ Emily realized. Harry's arm around her waist felt wonderful, familiar. She never wanted it to move. They were called to take a seat and found their names at a round table near the front of the room.

"There's a few items before we begin to feast." The minister spoke to the group. "First off, welcome to our newest employees, you know who you are. We hope you enjoy your time with the ministry. Second, I need everyone's attention on this matter. It seems that the numbers of students attending Hogwarts has declined recently. It's not that we don't have the magic children to place there; it's that the parents are too afraid to send their children off to school since the war. How can we remedy this? I have spoken with other ministers and they report the same issue at their schools. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated."

"Well, I think the best thing would be for Potter and Weasley over there to send their children to school there. If they aren't afraid to send their kids off, then others will see that it really is safe." A voice drawled from a few tables away.

"That's a good idea, Draco, but since we don't have children yet, I don't think it will help at this moment. I do think maybe lowering the entrance age could help. Maybe some of the other prominent names from the war could send their children and get the ball rolling in that aspect." Harry spoke up.

"That's a good idea. I will bring this up to the board and we will discuss it at our next meeting. Thank you. If there are other ideas, please don't hesitate to bring them to my attention." The minister said, then with a sweep of his hands, "Let's eat."

Food appeared on each plate, the aroma was appetizing until it hit Emily's nose. She abruptly stood and ran out of the room, looking for the loo. An attendant pointed the way out to her, looking after her concerned. Harry stared as she rushed out of the room, not knowing what was going on. He started to rise to follow, but Hermione stopped him. "I'll take care of it. You probably don't want to follow her right now." She whispered. She followed Emily to the loo and found her rinsing her mouth out at the sink.

Emily looked up when she entered, "Damn morning sickness. Why can't it give some warning? Why can't it actually be in the morning? Why aren't those stupid potions working?" she moaned.

"I don't know. Those potions usually work fairly well. You'd have to discuss it with your healer, though. Harry's worried. He doesn't realize the things about pregnancy, the morning sickness the tiredness, the mood swings. He wanted to follow you."

Emily groaned, "Yeah, that's something I really want him to see, me on my knees in this beautiful dress he bought me, puking my guts up at a dinner party with his boss. I'm so embarrassed. I've embarrassed Harry in front of his boss and everything."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted. "Oh, don't worry about anything, dear. Kingsley is a decent man, and probably hasn't even noticed that you left the room. No one will think twice about this. I'm so glad that my Harry has gotten on with his life and found himself a beautiful woman to share it with. I just didn't know that things would go so far so quickly. I can tell by the look on your face that this is Harry's child, and it's a secret. Don't worry, I won't tell until you are ready for it to be known." Molly Weasley had followed the girls to the loo and had overheard their conversation.

"Oh, Molly, you startled me." Hermione said. Seeing the look of terror on Emily's face, "Oh, this is Ron's mother. Harry's surrogate mother."

"That makes her… the ex's mother, too." Emily choked out.

"Yes, dear, Ginny is my only daughter, and I was very cross with her when she told me what she had done. Cheating on poor Harry like that, I raised her better. I'm glad he has found you, though. How far along are you dear?" Molly asked.

"Almost 9 weeks now." Emily's answer was barely audible.

They could see the thought process of Molly as she worked back, "I guess we should tell her the truth." Hermione said. Emily nodded.

"Harry and I met on the night that Ginny dumped him. We were so drunk that we barely knew who we were, let alone that we were in a pub. Well, I told him about my father arranging a marriage for me, and there was only one way to get out of it. He offered his services and well, it worked. I didn't ask it of him; we were drunk and probably would have ended up in bed with someone anyway. It just turned out that we ended up in bed with each other and now, my marriage contract is void." Emily explained.

"Oh, dear. I hadn't imagined. Well, I'm glad you told him about the baby and didn't try to keep him out of the child's life." Molly said. "I'm very happy to see him smile, that's something he hasn't done in a while, right Hermione?"

"Yes, Molly. I'm glad to see Harry happy, too. I only wish Ron would get over this whole loyalty thing." Hermione stated. "We'd better get back out there before Harry bursts in to find you." She laughed at the image of Harry pacing outside the women's restroom, warring with himself about bursting in.

The three women walked back out to the main room and the aroma of food was almost too much for Emily. She took a deep breath and tried to think of other things. She would try to eat a little. She and Hermione walked back to the table where Ron and Harry were waiting. Ron was busy scarfing down his food, while Harry had barely touched his. When he saw Emily, he rose. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded and leaned towards him, "Morning sickness because of the baby. Oh, and Molly Weasley now knows." Leaning back, she watched the emotions run across his face. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"It's not your fault. I should really have already told her." Harry said, holding her chair for her. Looking around before he sat, he found Molly watching him with a grin on her face.

"Tell who what?" Ron said, catching the last bit of what Harry said.

"It's nothing to worry about Ron." Hermione said.

"You know!? How is it that you don't tell me, but you tell my wife?" Ron exclaimed, forgetting to keep his voice down.

"Ron, drop it, okay. I will tell you later, not here, not now." Harry hissed at him, trying to remind him to keep his voice down.

"Tell me now! Why are you keeping secrets from me?" Ron yelled.

"For crying out loud, Ron, keep your voice down." Hermione said.

"No, I won't. Why are you two keeping secrets from me?" he continued.


	8. Chapter 8

Emily turned red; embarrassed that she was causing such issues with these friends. Harry was getting angry with Ron. "Ron, it really isn't any of your business, but if you must know, she's pregnant with my child." He blurted out to the astonishment of most of the room.

Emily put her face in her hands and knew that all eyes were on her now. She sagged into her seat and waited for the chaos to begin. Harry sat down angrily, not realizing that he had said it loud enough for the entire room to hear until he only heard complete silence. Looking around, he ran his hands through his hair, "Bloody hell." He muttered. Taking a deep breath, he stood again, facing the dining room. "Yes, you heard right. I will be having a child soon with Emily. Now, please continue eating, it's not the end of the world." Sitting down, he heard someone start clapping, and then the entire room was clapping. Hermione beamed at him and joined in.

The minister stood, "It's great news, Harry. We are all happy for you both."

Harry turned red, and muttered a thank you to the crowd and began picking at his food again. He turned to Emily who still had her face in her hands. Smiling, he placed his hands over hers and pulled them off her face. Looking into her eyes, "Hey, it's okay. No one will yell or anything. It's just not exactly how I imagined telling everyone, but it's out in the open now." He put a hand on her neck and pulled her forehead to place a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have come tonight." Emily whispered.

"No, this is not your fault. I love that you are here with me tonight. Everything will be just fine." He replied. Turning back to his plate, he glared at Ron. "Happy now, you know."

Ron glared back at him, "Didn't take you long to move on, huh, Harry. My sister must not have been the only one seeing someone else."

"Ron, Harry is not a cheater. Your sister is the one who was seeing someone behind his back, and when he was willing to forgive and forget, she tossed that back in his face and told him to get lost. He has every right to go out with someone else now. Get over the fact that your sister will not be marrying your best friend, he obviously has." Hermione hissed at her husband.

Ron turned red and ducked his head, "I suppose you're right, Hermione. I'm sorry, Harry. I just can't get over you and Ginny not being together."

"It's okay, Ron. I understand that it will take some time to get used to the idea. I've decided that I will be with Emily every step of the way during this pregnancy and after the child gets here. I will not be a weekend dad." Harry told his friend. Emily began to slowly eat, the smell not getting to her now that she was distracted. Finally, dinner was over and the tables were moved to the sides of the room to allow room for dancing. Harry led Emily onto the dance floor and took her into his arms. "I'm so sorry about Ron. I knew he would take this the wrong way. He took our break-up really hard." He whispered in her ear as he led her in the dance. Glancing around at the other dancing couples, he heard her sigh.

"I suppose everyone was going to know eventually. I just didn't expect it to be so abruptly." She replied.

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. He was just making me so angry." He told her. They danced in silence for a while, just relishing the feel of each other. They both leaned towards each other, placing their foreheads together, and sighed. Harry tilted his head slightly and brought their lips together in a soft, tender kiss. Pulling away, he groaned in frustration. This woman would unhinge him if he wasn't careful. After several dances, everyone started to trickle out of the dinner party, making their way home. Harry and Emily said their goodbyes and left to walk to Emily's flat. As they approached the bakery, she noticed something attached to the door. Disarming the enchantments, she reached for the parchment that was placed on the door of the bakery by someone who knew how to get past the enchantments.

_Hello girl,_

_ I found you. Bet you didn't think I could. There's no way that you can get away now. You will marry Todd and there's nothing you can do to stop it. If you are truly pregnant with the spawn of some stranger, then I will be getting rid of the spawn and you will still be pure in the eyes of the Gustavos. There's nothing you can do to stop me. I will do anything to get you married off to them so that I can have my blood heir. _

_ Father_

Stumbling, she placed her hand on the door to balance herself. Harry wrapped his arms around her and opened the bakery door. Locking the door behind them, he led her towards the staircase that appeared as they approached it. Upstairs in her flat, he set her down on the couch. "What is it?" he asked.

She handed him the letter. He cursed when he read the words her father had written. "Bloody hell. How can he threaten an innocent child?" she spoke finally.

Harry sat down beside her and put his arms around her again, gathering her into a hug. "He has another think coming if he thinks he will harm one hair on your or our child's head. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

She nodded into his chest and sighed, loving the feel of being in his arm. "I just wish he would give up on me. I don't want anything to do with him; he's not even my real father."

His hands roamed over her back, soothing her nerves. She felt so good in his arms that he never wanted to let her go. "Come stay at my place tonight. I don't feel good about leaving you here alone." He said.

Shaking her head, "No, that's okay Harry. I'll be fine. He's only found the bakery, not this place."

"That's a little too close for comfort. Promise me that you will come to my place if you get frightened?" he asked. "You heard me say the name the other night. I know you did. Please, Emily, let me take care of you."

She nodded and he got up to leave. "Harry?" she began. He turned back to her. "Thank you for a wonderful evening. I wasn't sure how this was going to work, us being a couple, but as long as we take it slow, I think we can make it work. I'm actually relieved that your friends know about the baby. It makes things easier."

Harry looked into her eyes, "Emily, you mean a lot to me, you and the baby. I won't let anything come between us, including your family." He assured her, smiling. He knew that she needed to hear that somehow. Closing the distance between them, he captured her lips in a kiss. Reluctantly, he stepped into the fireplace and disappeared in the green flames.

Emily stood and began changing out of the dress into her sleeping clothes, thinking about how to get rid of the man who she thought was her father. There had to be something she could do to get him out of her life and keep her baby safe. Falling into bed, she spent most of the night tossing and turning, her mind racing with all the things that had happened. She really liked Harry; he was kind and generous and seemed to be taking this whole baby thing in stride. He was going to make a great father.

Harry tossed and turned in his bed, finally getting up and wandering around the big house he had inherited. He was trying to work out how to convince Emily to move in here with him, so that he could keep her safe. He was worried that this man would find her and hurt her and the baby.


	9. Chapter 9

Across town, evil laughter was heard coming from a hotel room in an upscale part of town. "She will regret every leaving me. I'll take care of her and that spawn." He had set his plan in motion by placing that note on the bakery door. He had no idea where she lived, but he knew that she owned that bakery. He had seen her working in there earlier that day and had watched her leave dressed for a formal party.

An owl arrived every day at the bakery from Harry for the next several weeks. He was worried about her being alone, but wasn't able to leave work to be with her. She assured him that she was fine. He met her for her next appointment with the healer. "Would you like to see the baby?" she asked.

They both nodded. The healer held her wand over Emily small baby bump and muttered a spell. Suddenly, Emily skin was translucent, allowing them to see the baby inside her. Harry was spellbound seeing this growing life inside her, knowing that he helped create this life. He smiled down at Emily, seeing a few tears glistening in her eyes. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, squeezing her hand reassuringly. He looked back at the tiny person that was part him and couldn't believe that this was all happening.

In her fifth month of pregnancy, Emily began to grow to the point of needing to buy new clothes as hers weren't fitting anymore. She found a maternity shop and bought several pants, skirts and shirts to wear for the next few months. Harry was so very attentive, almost to the point of smothering her. She was falling for the famous wizard and couldn't stop herself from thinking about him daily. Showing up at the bakery after work, he would bring food or gifts for the baby. Scolding her for working so late in the day, he would hustle her off to bed soon after he arrived. They would sit on the couch for hours after dinner and just watch the fire, talking occasionally, getting to know each other. He would also gather her in his arms and kiss her tenderly before leaving.

She heard the door jingle in the bakery and made her way towards the front from her office, fixing a smile on her face to greet the customer. Just as she entered the kitchen she heard a bang and turned to see what it was. As she turned she felt a pain rip through her left side, just below her ribcage. Looking down, she saw blood and then looked up. Seeing the laughing eyes of her father, she fell to the floor, unconscious. Using his wand, he set the bakery ablaze, with the girl inside. Running off, he entered the pub across Diagon Alley to watch as the bakery was consumed in flames.

Soon, alerted by the flames, alarms began ringing and people began running towards the bakery. A man ran into the flames, spraying water from his wand as he went. He found her lying on the floor. Picking her up gently, he ran back out and then to the nearest floo network he could find. He rushed her off to St. Mungo's. The man watched from the pub, angry that he hadn't killed her, but maybe, just maybe he had managed to destroy the spawn she was carrying. He still didn't know who the father was, but he would find out and kill him as well. His spell had missed where he was aiming, because she turned at the exact moment it hit her. He still could have hit the spawn inside of her, though.

The healers worked on her immediately, waving wands and pulling out potions to stop the bleeding. They called for Healer Michaels to come, since she was the one that Emily had been seeing for her pregnancy. When she heard that Emily was there, she rushed over, only after contacting Hermione. She knew that she wouldn't be able to contact Harry, since he was always unreachable (the price of being famous), and she knew that Hermione would be able to notify him that Emily was in the hospital. Entering the room, she waved her wand over Emily's belly, checking to make sure that the baby was okay. Once she determined that the baby hadn't been harmed by the spell, she breathed a sigh of relief. She always hated when a baby didn't make it. She helped the other healers repair the damage to Emily's side.

Hermione arrived with a very angry Harry at her side. They rushed off, barely stopping to ask directions, to find Emily. She knew he was worried and angry that someone had tried to kill Emily and their child. He seemed to know who it was that did this to her, but he wasn't talking. He barged into the room that held Emily, startling the healers in their work. Healer Michaels saw him and stepped over to talk to him. "She was hit with a spell in her side. The baby is fine, wasn't hit with the spell at all. Emily is being healed right now; there was a huge hole in her side, right under her ribcage. Nothing was damaged; the ribcage did the job it was supposed to do and protected her organs. This was deliberate, her bakery was found in flames. They tried to put it out, but it kept flaring back up. She's doing okay now; the other healers are finishing up. You can see in her a moment." She told him.

Harry looked over her shoulder and saw Emily lying peacefully in the bed while the healers worked to heal her side. He saw the baby bump protruding under the blanket and sighed in relief that they would be okay. Now to go take care of the man who did this to her. He knew exactly who it was, and was hoping that his instincts were right and that he was in the pub across from the bakery. "Stay with her Hermione, I will be back soon." He said, walking out of the room.

Stopping only to place a floo call to Ron to bring a few other aurors to the pub, he disapparated and appeared in the middle of the busy Diagon Alley street. He stalked towards the pub, his robe billowing out behind him, joining the group of men standing near the bakery. Entering the pub, he scanned the group of people sitting there. Finding the one he knew to be the culprit, he stalked over to him, pointing his wand into the man's face. "You have no right to be here. You have no right to her at all. She's not even your blood, why are you bothering her. Why did you try to kill her?" Harry spoke surprisingly calm.

"Do you know who I am? Do you know who you are messing with?" the man said.

"Yes, I know exactly who you are. Do you know who I am?" Harry said.

"I don't really care who you are." The man started to stand, but was stopped by all the wands pointed at him.

"He is Harry Potter, head of the Auror department at the Ministry of Magic, destroyer of the most evil dark lord of this world." Ron spoke up. The man looked at Harry, recognition dawning on him. He started to get a little worried, he was all alone here and his power was in his numbers.

"Why should I care who he is?" he asked.

"You should really care. I know who you are and I want to know what you are doing here in London? Just here to get rid of her or the baby?" Harry asked.

"I don't know what you are talking about." The man said.

"Accio Romano's wand." Harry spoke the spell, calling the man's wand to him. Catching the wand that was sailing towards him, Harry performed a spell to see what the last spell was from the wand. Seeing that it was the one that had set fire to the bakery, he cast another spell to see the spell before. That was the one he was looking for, the one that had injured Emily. A tame version of the killing curse. "Stephan Romano, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Emily Avery and her child. My child. You are going before the Wizengamot and being sent to Azkaban if I have any say in the matter." He motioned for the other aurors to take the man into custody.

Ron leaned over to Harry as they exited the pub, "Is he really Romano? The big mafia wizard in America? Her father?"

"Yes, to all of your questions, Ron. Please see to it that he is questioned properly and held for the Wizengamot. I have to get back to the hospital." Harry said, disapparating to the hospital to see Emily.

Stepping into the room, he saw her still lying there, eyes closed, breathing softly. Hermione sat in the chair by the bedside, reading a book. She looked up when he entered, smiling softly at him. "She woke up for a few moments, asked about the baby and you, then the healer gave her a sleep potion, saying she needed to rest. Where did you go?"

"Found the person responsible. I need you to work out the legal stuff. He was her father, but not by blood. Her mother told her when she was 16 that her father wasn't able to have children, and the she wasn't his blood daughter. You have to find a way to get him into Azkaban for this. He tried to kill her and our baby. I want him gone." Harry said to his friend, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Sure, Harry. You going to be okay?" she asked.

He nodded, and turned his gaze back to Emily. Stepping over in front of the chair that Hermione had just vacated, he took Emily's hand in his and brought it up to his mouth. Kissing her hand tenderly, he sat down and just stared at her sleeping form, wondering what his life would be like now if she wasn't here. This woman had come into his life on a drunken night several months ago, and she hadn't left his thoughts since. Then she showed up telling him that he was going to be a father and he didn't think his life could get any better. Now his heart swelled thinking about her and wondering if she would consent to spend the rest of her life with him. Sure, it had only been a few months, but he knew how he felt and she was having his baby soon, it seemed like the most logical step to take. Emily stirred in the bed and opened her eyes. Seeing Harry, she smiled and then frowned, "I'm sorry." She said.

"Sorry for what? This wasn't your fault. It was Romano, he did this, and he's been taken into custody at the Ministry to await trial before the Wizengamot. I won't let him get away with this. He tried to kill you and our child." Harry said, caressing her face with the back of his hand.

"I didn't mean to bring you into all this with him. I just wish he would go away and let me live my life in peace." She said as tears fell from her eyes. Her hands instinctively went to her stomach and the child growing inside of her. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost the baby. You would hate me if that happened."

"I could never hate you, sweetheart. Never." Harry said, placing his hand on top of hers over their child. They remained like that in silence for countless minutes. Hermione knocked on the door and quietly made her way in. "Hey, how is the interrogation going?" he asked.

"Good, he doesn't deny do it. Which will make his trial easier." She answered. "How are you feeling, Emily?"

"Physically, I'm doing okay. I just want this man out of my life. He's not even my real father. Why is he doing this?" Emily said.

"I don't know why, but I do know that we are going to do everything we can to get him out of the way." Harry reassured her.


	10. Chapter 10

Healer Michaels entered the room, "Oh, good you're awake. Now, I want to do another check of the baby now and then again in the morning. You can go home then, on one condition." Waving her wand over Emily, she saw that the baby was fine still. "Everything still looks good here. I want you to rest tonight and then I'll check again in the morning." She said and turned to leave.

"You said that I could go home on one condition. What's the condition?" Emily spoke up before the healer took two steps.

"Oh, right. Well, you will have to be on bed rest, not complete, but I don't want you up on your feet all day long. Also, no stress at all. Do you have an environment that will provide you with constant companionship all day?" the Healer explained.

Emily muttered "No," just as Harry said "Yes." Healer Michaels smiled at the two. Emily looked over at Harry astonished at his answer.

"I'll just let you two work it out, and we'll talk about it in the morning." She said and left the room.

"Emily, I want you to stay at my place. It's safe, only a few people know about it and can access it. I want to take care of you." Harry said.

Emily looked from him to Hermione and back again. "Harry I can't ask that of you. I'll be fine at my own place."

"Well, there's only one problem with that, Emily. Your place is a pile of ash now. It burnt along with the bakery." Hermione spoke softly.

Emily dropped her head as tears stung her eyes. She suddenly gasped and giggled. Harry looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, and placed his hand under hers on her belly and waited, watching his face. She felt it and then saw a look of wonder cross his face. "What was that?" he asked.

"The baby kicked. I think he or she is letting us know that they are okay and going to make it." She whispered. He laughed out loud when the baby kicked again. Hermione smiled as she watched the two of them, laughing to herself. She knew how much they loved each other, even if they weren't going to admit it right now.

"That's amazing. A little life in there, kicking away." He said with a goofy smile on his face. He looked up to see Hermione smiling at them with a knowing smile on her face. "You want to feel?" he asked.

Hermione nodded slightly and moved forward. Emily grabbed her hand and placed it where Harry's had been and waited. Before long, she felt a kick again and saw Hermione's eyes widen and she felt the baby kick.

"Wow," she whispered, grinning. Rising, she looked at Emily, "Thank you for allowing me to feel that. Now, you really should take Harry up on his offer, and I know the perfect person to come stay with you during the day while Harry works." Looking at Harry, he nodded, letting her know that he thought the same thing.

"I'll ask her later. If nothing else, there is always Kreacher." He grimaced as he thought about the house elf he had inherited with the house. Kreacher wouldn't take too kindly to playing nursemaid.

Hermione nodded, "I had better get back to the office. Check on things." She left the room and they were again alone.

"Emily, please let me take care of you. Please come home with me and let me help you." Harry said, pleading.

"Okay, Harry. I don't see that I have any other option other than to stay here. I would love to stay with you," she replied, smiling at him. Her eyes drifted closed and soon her breathing was even and soft, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Harry sat back down in the chair, watching her sleep. Spying some parchment and a quill on the bedside table, he wrote out two notes, one to his house elf to prepare his room for another guest and another to Molly Weasley to ask for her assistance. As he knew she would, his owl found him, tapping on the window. He attached the letters to her leg and asked her to deliver them for him. Settling back down in the chair, he watched Emily and waited. Lost in his thoughts, his eyes drifted close and he was soon asleep.

Several hours passed before she slipped into the room quietly. Walking over to the chair, she put a hand on Harry's arm, "Harry," she said softly. He jumped up and spun around wand pointed in front of him. She leapt back out of the way, "I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to startle you." She said.

His eyes focused, "Oh, it's you, Molly. I'm sorry," he said, putting his wand away. "You got my letter?" he asked.

Nodding, "Of course I'll help you out, dear. I will be happy to stay with her while you are at work. I came to see if you needed anything right now." Molly stated.

Shaking his head, "No, they brought us dinner a little while ago. I appreciate your help with Emily. The healer doesn't want her left alone until after the baby comes." He told her.

She nodded again, "Of course, dear. I'll be there for you and her. I'm sure your home needs a good cleaning again, anyway." She smiled at him. "When would you need me to be over?" she asked.

"I'm not sure about tomorrow yet, depends on what time they let her go home." He answered. "I'll let you know. Thanks Molly."

"Sure, dear. Let me know if you need anything." Molly said and quietly left the room. Harry settled back down in the chair and soon fell asleep again, waking only when a trainee healer arrived to check up on Emily. He was still sitting in the chair when the sun came up and Emily stirred. She opened her eyes, seeing Harry sitting in the chair asleep. Smiling, she reached over and placed a hand on his knee causing him to jump up.

"Sorry," she said. He visibly relaxed, seeing that it was only Emily touching him and not something else.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I feel better. Still hurts a bit where the spell hit, though." She said. A young witch entered with a tray of food for them both. She set them down and left the room as quietly as she came in. Harry moved to the trays and picking one up, brought it to the bed for Emily.

"Here, have some breakfast and then maybe the healer will be in to let you go home." He said, setting up the tray over her lap as she sat up in the bed.

She began eating, realizing how hungry she was. Looking up, "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked him.

Smiling, he nodded and sat down to eat his own breakfast. Healer Michaels arrived shortly after they had pushed their tray away. She silently stepped to the side of the bed and waved her wand over Emily to ensure that everything was still fine. She checked the baby and the wound in her side mostly. "Well, I suppose I can let you go home, if you have a place that will ensure rest and relaxation with constant supervision. You don't have to be on complete bed rest, but I do not want you on your feet all day, either." She spoke after her check of Emily was done.

"She'll be staying at my place. I have a house elf, and also someone will come to stay with her when I'm at work at the Ministry. She has agreed to this." Harry told her.

Healer Michaels looked at Emily who nodded, "Very well then, you will have to let me have access to the place, since I don't want Emily travelling unless absolutely necessary. I will come to you when it is time for a check." Harry nodded and wrote something on a paper.

"Fidelius," he said, she nodded, knowing that his place was hidden and that he was trusting her to keep it secret.

"I will see you in a few weeks, unless you need me before then." She said and turned to leave. "You may go now, just take it easy for a few days and then you can resume semi-normal activities."

Harry helped Emily dress in the robe that was left for her and supported her as they walked out to the fireplace in the lobby to use the floo network. She limped slightly as the pain in her side was beginning again. A young trainee healer caught up with them before they stepped into the fireplace. Handing Harry a case, "Healer Michaels forgot to give this to you, potions for the pain and more for the pregnancy," she said.

Harry nodded in thanks and he stepped into the fireplace with Emily, tossing some powder down he muttered the name of his home, soft enough that no one heard him. The people around barely noticed them enter the lobby and certainly weren't paying attention to them as they left. They arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and stepped out of the fireplace in the kitchen. Emily stumbled slightly and Harry led her to the kitchen table to have a seat while he went to check on his room.


	11. Chapter 11

"Kreacher?" he called.

"Yes master Harry. I've just finished your room." A small house elf appeared just before Harry left the kitchen.

"Thank you, Kreacher. This is Emily; she will be staying with us for a while. She's not to be stressed and she needs lots of rest. Mrs. Weasley will be coming around as well, while I'm away at work. Please honor them both and do as they ask, and help keep Emily comfortable." Harry explained to the elf.

"Certainly, master Harry. Welcome Miss Emily, welcome to the noble house of Black, now the house of Potter." The elf bowed low, his nose touching the floor. Emily giggled softly.

"Thank you, Kreacher. You are most kind." She said, laughing at his wide-eyed expression. Harry chuckled and went back to Emily's side, helping her to stand. Ushering her through the kitchen door, towards the stairs, she sagged against him. The pain in her side was increasing with all the walking. He growled slightly and lifted her into his arms easily, carrying her upstairs to his room.

Laying her gently in the bed, he reached for the case of potions and pulled out on for pain. Tipping it to her lips, she took a sip and sighed as it worked immediately. "I'm sorry." She said, lying back on the pillows.

"No need to be sorry. You need to rest. Will you be okay here if I go to work? Molly will come and stay, and make sure you get your meals and rest." Harry asked, brushing her hair off of her face.

"Yeah, you go do what you need to do. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," she said, eyes drifting closed. Harry turned to leave, placing his hand on the doorknob; he heard something that made him pause. "I love you, Harry," she whispered. He smiled and stepped out of the room.

He arrived at his office and spoke with his secretary about his messages. He told her to send in his first meeting and lost himself in his work for several hours. Hermione entered his office to give him a report on Romano's trial. He was going before the Wizengamot in a few days, and it would be great if Emily could attend to testify. "I'm not sure, Hermione. She's still pretty fragile, but I will ask her," he told her.

At 6 that evening, Harry arrived home to find Molly in the kitchen cooking alongside Kreacher. "Hi, Molly, how has she been today?" he spoke softly so as not to startle them.

"She's been sleeping most of the day. I suppose those pain potions have a bit of a sleep aid in them to help with the healing process. She's eaten her meals very well." Molly turned to him, giving him a small hug. "Dinner will be ready soon, go on up and we will bring trays up when it's ready."

Harry smiled and left the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time, hardly able to stand not seeing Emily. Opening the door quietly, trying not to wake her if she was asleep, he stuck his head around the door. Seeing her sitting up in the bed, he smiled and walked into the room to kneel beside the bed. "Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"There's still some pain, but the potions put me to sleep too quickly. I wanted to see you when you got home," she answered, smiling at him. He leaned up and brushed her lips with his, standing to change out of his work clothes. Stripping down to his boxer shorts, he wasn't ashamed for her to see him like that, he walked around gathering pants and shirt and headed to the shower. Molly arrived with two trays of food as Harry stepped out of the shower, hair still wet.

"Thanks, Molly. I will be leaving for work about 8 in the morning, if you could be here by then, that would be great." Harry said, sitting down on the side of the bed by Emily.

"Sure, Harry. I'll see you then. I'll just be going home now." She answered and left.

Leaning over, he placed a kiss on Emily's cheek, "Let's eat."

Emily smiled shyly and watched as he placed the tray over her lap. She ignored the potion on the tray and asked Harry how his day was as she dug in to the wonderful food. They talked while they ate, sharing news. Their plates were empty and they pushed the trays away. Harry noticed the potion still on her tray, and motioned to it. "Don't you think you should take that?" he asked.

"I will in a bit. I want to spend some time with you." Emily said with a pout on her lips.

Laughing, he leans forward and captures her lips in a kiss, placing a hand at the back of her neck, tilting her head up slightly to deepen the kiss. "We have all the time in the world to spend together. I don't want you in pain, though, so take the potion. I'll be here when you wake up." He assured her, after pulling away. Handing the vial to her, he watched her tip it back. She sighed involuntarily as the potion took affect and removed the pain. She slid down in the bed, snuggling under the covers. Harry started to rise and leave her in peace, but she grabbed his hand.

"Don't go. Stay with me." She said as the potion started to cause her eyes to drift close. Harry chuckled, then kicked off his pants and removed his shirt. Crawling between the sheets, he turned on his left side, looking into her face as she gave in to the sleep that was calling to her. He watched her for hours, just lying there beside her, her hand in his. Soon, he removed his glasses and placed them on the bedside table and closed his own eyes in sleep. He awoke to his alarm the next morning, finding Emily's head on his chest and her hair billowing out around him. Smiling, he slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake her. She stirred as he moved, though, opening her eyes. Seeing that she was in bed with Harry, she sat up with a start. "Oh, sorry," she said.

"No need to be sorry, I'm not. I enjoy waking up next to you and falling asleep next to you." Harry said. "I could get used to this." She blushed, seeing him rise from the bed in his boxer shorts. He laughed, "Don't be embarrassed, I'm not. I mean, we have seen each other in less." Reaching the dresser, he pulled out clothes and got ready for work. "I'll be back for dinner." He said, leaning over her and placing a kiss on her forehead. Striding out of the bedroom, he tromped down to the kitchen, grabbing an apple on his way to the fireplace to head to work.

The days passed much the same, except that Emily took less and less pain potions each day, allowing her to remain awake longer, and even venturing downstairs for a few hours. A week after arriving at Harry's house, Emily stayed awake for the entire day, talking with Molly, and reading books from the library of the house. Healer Michaels was due to arrive soon to check Emily and the baby, and Harry was coming home early for her visit. She heard the floo flare to life in the kitchen and heard Molly greet Harry. A smile spread on her face as he came through the door into the library where she was sitting with a book in her lap. He grinned at her, "Should you be up?" he asked.

"I feel great, Harry. No pain at all. I've not even taken any pain potions today. I was just sitting here waiting for you to get home." Emily said as he sat down on the couch next to her. They heard the floo flare to life again and he rose to greet Healer Michaels when Molly escorted her in to the library. "Good afternoon, Healer Michaels."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. How are you today, Emily?" the healer said and made her way to Emily's side at the couch. "Lie down and let me have a look."

Emily stretched out on the couch and the healer began moving her wand from head to toe, stopping only at Emily's belly. Smiling, "Well, looks like everything is good. How's the pain been?" she asked.

"I haven't had a potion all day today. The pain hasn't been around at all today." Emily sighed, knowing that she was getting better.

"Good, good. Well, I will be back in a week to check on you again. Keep taking things slow, don't rush back into anything. Keep the stress level down as well." The healer told her and started for the kitchen.

"I'll walk with you." Harry said and fell into step beside her. Leaning his head over, he whispered in her ear, "Is she able to…. Are we allowed…?" he stammered, not really sure how to word his question.

She knew exactly what he meant, "Yes, she can have sex, Harry. Just nothing rough, slow and easy," she answered.

Harry nodded and held open the kitchen door for her. He followed her in, to talk to Molly after the healer had left. After several minutes, he returned to the library. "How about a shower?" he asked Emily. She nodded and he held out his hand for her to take. Walking slowly up the stairs, he led her to the shower in his bedroom. He left the room with a sly smile on his face, letting her get undressed and step into the shower. She turned the water on to let it heat up, then stepped under the hot spray. Letting it wash over her, she closed her eyes and let her mind slip away. Suddenly, she felt hands on her hips, moving her forward. Her eyes flew open, gasping and she was staring into Harry's green eyes. "Don't want me wasting water on two showers, now do you?" he smiled, his eyes shining.


	12. Chapter 12

She shook her head and gulped. Her body was getting out of control, her belly ballooning out in front of her; it was getting harder and harder to see her feet and to bend over. Her breasts were bursting out of her bra now, getting heavier and fuller. She stared into his eyes, not breaking the contact he had on her. He removed his hands and turned her around to face away from him. Reaching for her shampoo, he put some into his hand and then began massaging it into her hair. Turning her back around, he tilted her head back under the water and rinsed out the shampoo. Laughing at her stunned look, he planted a kiss on her lips, shocking her even more when she felt his hardness bump her stomach. "Sorry, you just turn me on so much. I am so in love with you, it amazes me," he said to her, kissing her again.

Regaining herself, she put her arms around him and pulled him as close to her as she could with her burgeoning belly in the way, to deepen the kiss. Opening her mouth, she allowed his tongue entry, making him growl slightly. Wrapping his arms around her, he delved deeper into her mouth with his tongue. The shower forgotten, he magically turned the water off and dried them with a spell, never breaking the kiss. Reluctantly he pulled away, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him to the bed. Sitting down on the bed, he pulled her down beside him, capturing her lips in another searing kiss. "I promised I would go slow, but I can barely stand being in the same bed with you and not touch you like this. I want you, Emily. I need you." He said, nuzzling her neck, placing kisses on the sensitive spots he remembered.

"Oh, Harry. I'm not going to stop you. I want this as much as you do. I love you." She replied with a sigh and a shiver as he nuzzled that spot on her neck. She ran a hand up his arm and wrapped her fingers into his dark hair, holding him there at her neck. Growling, he leaned back to lie on his side on the bed, he brought her with him. Pushing on her shoulders, he laid her onto her back and began again at her mouth, teasing, kissing and tasting. Making his way down, he paused again at her neck, finding that sensitive spot that caused her to squirm. Moving on, his hand found her breast and he lifted it, feeling the weight of it. His lips descended on the nipple, sucking and teasing it to attention. She moaned at the sensation of his lips on her. Turning his attention to the other breast, he teased it to attention, then moved on to her stomach. Pausing here, he placed kisses on her belly, whispering softly to the child inside. She giggled at the feeling of his breath on her stomach. Before she knew what was happening, he was hovering over her, his hardness bumping against her intimately. She gasped as he entered her, sighing softly as her body adjusted to his entry. Keeping his weight off of her belly, not wanting to squish the child, he began moving slowly, making her bite her lip and moan at the feeling. His arms shook as they held his weight above her. His forehead broke out in sweat as he held back from taking her faster. Almost too soon, he felt her clench around him and that unhinged him. One more thrust and he stiffened in release. Rolling over, he collapsed beside her on the bed, breathing ragged. He rolled to his side, facing her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, Emily; I have for a while now." Harry said, looking into her eyes. She gazed back into his, smiling, still trying to catch her breath from their love making. They moved around in the bed to get under the covers. He turned her to face away from him, so that he could bring his body as close to hers as was possible. He nuzzled her neck and nipped at her ear.

"I love you, Harry. I can't imagine my life without you in it." She said softly, shivering whenever he nuzzled that spot on her neck. "You make my life complete."

Harry chuckled and continued nuzzling her neck, feeling himself stir again; he could never get enough of this woman. Although, he wasn't going to act on it again right now. He didn't want to hurt her. The next day was his day off, and he had a plan. First they needed rest. On Monday, she would travel with him to the Ministry for Romano's funeral. Furrowing his brow, he asked, "Where did you get the name Avery from?"

"Oh, that's my real father's last name. My mother told me and I had it legally changed when I turned 18. I couldn't stand to keep Romano." She answered.

"Well, I can't blame you there." He muttered into her hair. Sighing deeply, his hand found the way to her belly and began rubbing in circles. Soon, he heard her even breathing and knew that she was asleep. He watched her sleep and then soon his eyes drifted closed, content with his life. He was going to be a father and had found the love of his life, what could be better.

The next morning dawned and Harry awoke feeling better than ever. The woman he loved was lying curled up next to him, and he couldn't be happier. Well, one thing would make him happier, but he had to wait for that. First things first, his plan; he needed a trip to Diagon Alley. Rising from the bed, he felt her stir as he moved, he reached for his glasses. Turning back to her, "Good morning, beautiful, how was your night?"

She smiled at him, "Amazing. It felt wonderful being with you like that again. I don't ever want it to end."

"I'm not going anywhere. Although I do need to make a floo call to let Molly know that I'm off work today. Tonight, I want to take you out to dinner." He said to her, standing not ashamed of his nakedness in front of her. Pulling on some clothes, he stepped out of the bedroom, "Don't go away, I'll be right back." Walking into the kitchen, he said good morning to Kreacher, who was at the stove cooking breakfast. Stepping to the fireplace, he threw in some powder and stuck his head in the green flames, calling out for the Burrow. Once his head stopped spinning, he spotted Molly standing by the sink. "Molly." He said into the silence. She jumped slightly and walked over to the fireplace.

"Oh, Harry, dear. I'll be over shortly." She said.

"No, that's why I'm calling. I'm off work today, so there's no need to come over. I do need a favor, though." He told her what he needed and she readily agreed to it, telling him that it would be waiting for him at the counter. He thanked her and removed his head from the fire. Heading back upstairs, he found Emily still in bed as he told her to be. Crossing to her, he gathered her up in his arms and kissed her passionately. "I love you, you know that, right?" he said.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for another kiss. He growled and knelt on the bed next to her, laying her back on the bed again. "The things you do to me, woman," he said. "As much as I would love to, we can't right now. Things to do," he told her. He let her up to dress and they made their way to the kitchen for a light lunch having slept through breakfast. "Kreacher, we will be dining out tonight, so take the night off and get some rest." He said to the house elf. Turning to Emily, "I have to step out for a moment, but I won't be long." Kissing her cheek, he stepped to the fireplace and vanished into the green flames. Within a half an hour, he was back, finding her in the library watching the flames in the fireplace dance.


	13. Chapter 13

Smiling, he stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb, and watched her. She felt him staring at her and looked his way, smiling she stood. "What time is dinner, and what should I wear?" she asked.

"Hmm… a couple of hours now at 6, and there's a dress laid out for you on the bed. We will be walking, the restaurant is not far from here," Harry said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

She eyed him suspiciously, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," he answered. Taking her hand, he led her upstairs and into the shower, telling her she had two hours to be ready or he was going without her. He stepped back into the bedroom and put on his best suit and dress robes. He dressed quickly and went back downstairs to the library to wait for Emily. An hour and a half later, she appears at the top of the stairs in a green cocktail dress the flowed down to her knees. He smiled at seeing her and waited for her to descend the stairs. "You're early." He said as she reached the bottom step, "But that's okay. You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Harry. You look dashing as always." She smiled shyly. He offered her his arm and they walked to the front door to leave the house into the muggle street. He replaced the wards as soon as the door closed behind them and the house seemed to dissolve into the surroundings. They turned down the sidewalk and started walking towards the restaurant. Once there, the maître d seated them at a semi-private table for two in the corner. Harry ordered some sparkling cider for their drink and they perused the menu for their meal. After ordering, Harry reached across the table and held her hand openly, not caring who saw. They were in the muggle world so he didn't think to use his special charm to conceal himself.

"So, Harry, why the elaborate dinner?" she asked him, smiling.

"Can I not take the woman I love out to dinner?" he asked, mockingly shocked. "Although, I do have an ulterior motive this time." Looking into her eyes, he began, "Emily, I love you more than words can say. I only hope that I show you how much I love you in my actions. I don't know what my life would be like if you hadn't walked into it 8 months ago. Now, we are going to have a baby and I can only think of one thing that would make me happier."

"And what would that be?" she asked.

Her eyes widened as Harry knelt down in front of her on one knee, "Would you make me happier than any man alive and marry me?" he asked.

Shocked, Emily nodded, "I would love to, Harry." He leaned up on his knees and hugged her, pulling a ring out of his pocket. He took the ring from the box and placed it on her left hand. The ring was in the shape of a heart, only the heart was formed by two dolphins. A single diamond stood in the middle of the heart. "It's beautiful, Harry." She said.

"Now, we don't have to do this right away, we can wait until after the baby is a few months old." Harry stated.

"No, I'd like to do it before the baby comes." She smiled, "If that's okay?"

"Of course that's okay, that's perfect. I can't wait to call you my wife." Harry said and stood to take his seat again as the food arrived. What they weren't aware of was the reporter sitting at a table across the restaurant, watching everything and taking pictures with her cellphone camera. She would be front page news tomorrow. She watched as the boy proposed to the famous model/designer gone missing, and she watched as he placed the ring on her finger. She watched even more interested as they exited the restaurant, seeing that the woman was very pregnant. The reporter was squirming in her seat with excitement. This was better than anything the man in front of her could do for her. She was going to a household name come morning.

Emily and Harry returned home and upstairs to bed. Harry undressed her slowly, taking in the sight of her. He undressed himself and they slid under the covers to cuddle together and sleep. They were awakened the next morning by Hermione screaming from the kitchen. Harry pulled on his pants and started down the stairs, pulling his shirt over his head. He entered the kitchen, "What in the bloody hell, Hermione? What's the problem?"

Slapping down a newspaper on the table, she said, "This is the problem." Harry sat down to look at it. It was a muggle newspaper and there on the front page was a picture of him kneeling in front of Emily holding out a ring to her.

"Bloody hell." He said, running a hand over his face. "Wait, this isn't the Daily Prophet, so what's the problem?" Emily entered the kitchen and leaned over his shoulder reading the article.

"Hell. It identifies me and tells exactly where I am. This is not good." She said, sitting down next to Harry. Kreacher arrived and began preparing breakfast. "While Romano may be incarcerated, his family is not and neither are the Gustavos who I was supposed to marry in to. This is not good, they'll find me."

"Well, bloody hell. Why didn't I cast that concealment charm? Because we were in a muggle restaurant, that's why. I didn't think we'd need it. We are going to have to have this wedding very soon, to keep them from you. Like tomorrow, soon." Harry said. Hermione jerked her head up and stared at him.

"You want a wedding in less than a day?" she asked, incredulous.

Harry nodded, "It's the only way to protect her from them. If she's married to me, they can't touch her. Remember." Harry looked into Hermione's eyes and saw that she did remember the deal that was made with the Ministry after he had killed Voldemort. "Get Molly." He said to her.

Hermione stood and threw some powder into the fireplace. It flared green and she stuck her head into it, calling out for the Burrow. "Molly?" she called once her head had stopped spinning.

"Yes, Hermione, dear, what can I do for you?" the older woman asked.

"We need to plan a wedding for tomorrow. Harry and Emily, there at the Burrow if possible." Hermione said.

Molly looked shocked, "Well, of course they can have it here, but isn't tomorrow a bit soon?" she asked.

"There's a situation, and they have to get married tomorrow, the earliest possible. We're going to need help; can you meet me at the Leaky Cauldron in half an hour?" Hermione said.

"Certainly, dear, I'll bring along Luna." Molly said and hurried off to get ready.

Hermione stood up from her kneeling position in front of the fire. "Who can help us?" she asked as she turned back to them.

"Pansy, and see if she can get Astoria and Daphne to help. What about Fleur?" Harry said.

Hermione shook her head, "They are out of the country." She thought more, her thoughts going to Ginny, but that would be really awkward. "Okay, I'll work with who I can find. I'll let you know in a bit how things are going. The one thing I will need Emily for is the dress."

Emily nodded her head, "Yeah, it will be hard to find something to fit me right now."

"I'll floo Healer Michaels and ask her about floo travel for Emily. We don't want any problems. I also need to talk with the Minister of Magic." Harry said, striding for the fireplace. Emily sat silent through most of this exchange, watching the two of them thinking, completing each other's thoughts. These two were great friends and had spent so much time together that they thought alike.

"What do we do in the meantime?" she asked Harry as Hermione left to meet with Molly and the others.

Harry turned to her, "We just stay put. They can't get in here; it's protected by the fidelius charm. Only those with the address are allowed access here."

"They'll still come for me, you know that, right? I've slighted the family, both families, and now they will want revenge." She said quietly.

"Well, that will be taken care of as well. I won't let them near you, I promise you that. I know that I failed you a few months ago when Romano found you, but with marrying me tomorrow, there is no way that anyone will be able to find you." He said with a small smile and then turned his attention to the floo to make his calls.

Pulling his head out, he found Emily still watching him with a worried expression. Sitting down beside her, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I'm just worried that they will find me and you and hurt one of us or someone we care about." She admitted to him.

"That won't happen. There is a way to hide us all in plain sight. We won't be found no matter how hard they try. I've just talked with the minister and he's already working on it." He assured her. The more distraught she was, the more at risk the baby was and he didn't want that. "You need to stay calm and not stress out this. Let me worry about everything. You just concentrate on staying calm for the baby."

Emily took a deep breath, "You're right. I don't need to stress right now. I'll do my best not to worry." Harry leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss.

"Now, Healer Michaels said that one floo trip there and back will be fine, but no more than that. You are too close to delivery, she doesn't want to risk anything." He told her. "So, Hermione will bring your dress here for you to try it on, I sent her a patronus to let her know. We will then floo over to the Burrow in the morning for the wedding, and then floo back here afterwards."

Emily nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder. They moved to the library and sat on the couch, his arms around her, her head on his chest. This is how Hermione found them several hours later. Carrying a dress in her hands, she stepped into the library. Harry stood and let her take Emily to try the dress on. "I've charmed it so that it makes itself fit," she said. "Molly and the others went on to the Burrow to start decorations and flowers and such. I'll take the dress with me when I leave and you can get ready there in the morning. We got everything taken care of."

"Thank you, Hermione. I couldn't have done this without you. Now, I need to talk to your husband." He said, walking towards the kitchen. "I'll be back soon."


	14. Chapter 14

Emily watched him leave and then took in a shaky breath, "This is harder than I thought, this not worrying thing. Only a few more weeks and I can get back to worrying," she laughed.

Hermione held up the dress for her inspection, "Pansy picked it out for you. We thought it would look great on you, with your hair color." The dress was an off-white wedding dress, a long train in the back. "I picked out some shoes, but you don't have to wear them. I wasn't sure how your feet were feeling."

"Well, we will just have to see come morning. Thank you for everything, Hermione. Would you consent to stand up with me at the wedding?" she asked.

Hermione blushed and nodded, "I'd be honored. Harry is my best friend and I'm so happy that he's found someone like you to love him." The two women sat and talked for a while, waiting on Harry to return.

That night, in the quiet of the dark room, Harry watched Emily sleep peacefully, hoping that tomorrow went well and there were no unexpected surprises. For once in his life, he wanted a happy ending, one that didn't end up with someone close to him dying. He closed his eyes, thinking about marrying this woman he loved so deeply in the morning.

The next morning, they awoke to find Kreacher telling them it was time to leave. Dressing quickly, they stepped into the fireplace and tossed in the floo powder to travel to the Burrow. Emily felt excitement bubbling inside her, just waiting to burst to the surface. She had never been to the Burrow with Harry, and had only met Molly, Ron and Hermione of the Weasley family. She was nervous about meeting them, and excited about marrying Harry.

Harry was nervous, what if Ginny was there, what would she say? He knew one thing; he was marrying Emily no matter what. He loved her so much that his heart felt like bursting.

They arrived in the kitchen at the Burrow, stepping carefully from the fireplace. Molly was standing at the stove, "Morning, dears. Breakfast?" she greeted them cheerily.

"Thanks, Molly, but we already had some breakfast at home." Harry said.

Emily laughed, "Speak for yourself, while I may have eaten already, I feel famished." She then sat down at the table with a sigh, glad to be off her feet. This was going to be a long morning and she needed to rest up for it, plus she was starving. Molly set a plate down in front of her, chuckling as she dug in to the delicious food. Harry stared at her speechless.

"It happens sometimes, Harry, with pregnant women. Some days you just can't get enough food." Molly said with a smile. "Go on up and get Ron, Harry. You two can go ahead and get ready. I'll take care of Emily once she's finished her breakfast. Hermione should be down in a minute."

Harry nodded, placed a kiss on Emily's cheek and bounded up the stairs two at a time, until he reached the top floor. A moment later, Hermione appeared in the kitchen doorway. "That smells wonderful, Molly. Good morning, Emily." She said as she sat down and found a plate in front of her.

"Good morning. I'm still not sure how you two did all of this in just a day." Emily said, finishing her plate of food.

"Okay, Emily, up to the shower with you." Molly said and helped her up the stairs to the shower near Ginny's old room. "Here you go. I'm going to go lay out your dress and everything, meet me and Hermione in here when you are done." She said, gesturing to the bedroom.

Emily stepped into the shower and let the water wash over her. She smiled to herself, thinking that in just a few hours she would be Mrs. Harry Potter and in a few weeks, she would be a mother. "I can't wait to meet you, little one," she whispered, rubbing her belly. Finishing her shower, she tied her hair up in a towel and tried to wrap another one around her body. Finding that it barely reached, she muttered a spell and the towel lengthened to fit around her. She padded over to the bedroom and entered to find Hermione and Molly waiting for her, and another girl with dark hair was sitting on the bed.

"Emily, this is Pansy. She's the one responsible for your dress." Molly made the introductions.

"Thank you, Pansy. I assume you're the one responsible for the black dress for the dinner party not too long ago." Emily said.

"That would be me as well. Harry came to me for that one." Pansy said and stood. "Now, let's see how this dress looks on you." Lifting the dress out of the plastic it was in, she held it up towards Emily. They heard footsteps on the stairs, knowing it was Harry and Ron; Molly waved her wand at the door, locking it so that Harry couldn't come in and find Emily. The footsteps went on past the room and they heard them enter the kitchen.

Hermione and Pansy helped Emily into the dress when flowed around her. The top was fitted around her breasts and the high waist settled just above her burgeoning belly. The skirt fell down around her feet and fluttered when she walked. She smiled at the feel of the dress around her. Looking at herself in the full length mirror on the wall, she tried to imagine how she would look for Harry. She felt the towel around her head loosen and her long hair fell down her back. Hermione muttered a spell and her hair dried. "Sit," Hermione commanded as they heard raised voices from downstairs. Molly excused herself to go find out what was going on.

Harry and Ron were sitting in the kitchen talking when the fireplace flared green and out stepped Ginny. Looking at the two boys, she hissed, "How could you?" at Harry.

"How could I what? Move on with my life? Get married? Be happy without you? Take your pick, nothing you say is going to make any difference. I'm getting married in a little over an hour and you can't stop it, Ginny. You made your choice." Harry said, looking at the red head that he had once loved. Ron discreetly stepped outside in the yard to make sure everything was ready for the ceremony.

"You can't marry her. You don't love her, you love me." Ginny said.

"I don't love you anymore, Ginny. Not since you cheated on me and left me for that brute on the team. I'm marrying Emily and we are going to have a baby very soon." He stated.

"That's not your kid. I'm the one who is going to give you a child. I'm pregnant Harry, and it's your baby." She told him.

Harry laughed, "Impossible. There is absolutely no way that you are pregnant by me, Ginny, since it's been well over a year since we've had sex. Don't do this, Ginny, you'll only embarrass yourself."

Molly entered the kitchen, "Ginny, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to keep Harry from making a big mistake." The young girl said. "He loves me and I'm going to have his baby."

"Ginny, don't, just don't. You made your choice when you left Harry for Tad. Don't come in here and try to make trouble. Harry is happy; don't tarnish this day for him." Molly said to her daughter.

"Mum, stay out of this. This is my life, and I want Harry back. I will do anything to make that happen." Ginny stated.

"Well, get used to being disappointed, Ginny. I'm not coming back to you; I'm marrying Emily and will spend the rest of my life with her and our child. You can just go back to that brute and leave me in peace to live my life how I want to." Harry said and stormed out to the backyard. He was furious, how dare she come here today of all days and pull something like this? Trying to calm down, he walked towards the open field behind the house. Ron caught up with him and walked in silence beside him. "Your sister is a piece of work, you know that? Telling me that she's pregnant with my baby, as if."

"She did what?" Ron asked.

"You heard me. She said she wants me back and will do anything to make it happen. I can't wait for this wedding to happen and be done so that I'm bound to Emily for life." Harry hissed. "How dare she come here today of all days."


	15. Chapter 15

Upstairs, Hermione and Pansy had just put the finishing touches on Emily's hair. They had swept it up in a ribbon with a few tendrils hanging down, framing her face. A few pieces of baby's breath were woven into her hair. She slipped on the shoes that Hermione set out for her and she was ready. Molly appeared again, looking distraught. "Is everything okay, Molly?" Hermione asked.

"Ginny's here." Molly told them.

Emily's face fell; she knew very well who Ginny was. She sat down heavily in the chair, letting out a huge breath. "Oh, Emily, there's nothing to worry about. Harry has already told her that she can't change the outcome of today. He will be marrying you in a few minutes and she can't change that." Molly said as Hermione knelt in front of Emily, taking her hands in her own.

"Emily, Harry loves you; nothing is going to change that, not even Ginny," she assured Emily.

A knock sounded on the door and Molly stepped to open it. "It's time," Arthur said as he stepped into the room. "You look beautiful, Emily."

"Thank you, Arthur." She replied, standing again and taking a deep breath. Molly, Hermione and Pansy all walked down the stairs ahead of Emily and Arthur. Molly and Pansy continued on outside to wait with everyone else. The guests had all arrived and were seated in the tent awaiting the bride. Harry and Ron were standing up front next to a short balding man. When Molly and Pansy entered she nodded at her eldest son Bill and he waved his wand to begin some music playing. After a few moments, Hermione entered the tent, wearing a pale blue dress. She took her place up front and turned to face the entrance of the tent. The music swelled and Arthur entered with Emily holding his arm.

Harry's heart stopped and his breath caught in his throat. Emily was stunning. He couldn't even put into words how she looked to him. He noticed everyone staring at him, and realized he had gasped audibly. He let out his breath and smiled at the woman walking up the aisle towards him. Before she reached his side, a hand snaked out and grabbed her away from Arthur. Shocked, she let out a slight shriek and felt an arm go around her neck and wand press into her side. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening.

All of a sudden, jets of red issued from all around the tent and the arm around her neck stiffened as the man put up a shield to keep from being hit with spells. "Not that easy." He hissed.

Emily, noticing that he was distracted, brought her foot down on his instep, causing him to loosen his grip on her neck and she twisted out of his grasp. "Todd. I should have known." Raising her own wand towards him, she sent a spell at him and he fell backwards with the impact.

"I can't have you marrying someone else, Romano. You are promised to me." Todd Gustavo spat out.

"I am not a Romano, I never have been. That contract was broken over 8 months ago when I got pregnant with Harry's child. You can't ruin this for me. I won't let you. I will never be with you." She said, backing away and coming into contact with a solid form behind her. Harry's arm snaked out around her and pushed her behind him to protect her.

"Gustavo, you made a big mistake showing up here. I only have to make one guess to know who told you we would be here, and she can forget ever being friends with me again." Harry said to the man lying on the ground. "This is my wedding day and you can't ruin it, no one can. I will marry Emily and then you can't touch her. If you don't leave now, I can't promise you that you will ever leave here." Turning to Emily, "Are you okay?" She nodded and he turned back to see Todd standing. Wands were trained on him all around the tent. He looked around, sneering at them all.

"You can't hurt me. I'm a Gustavo; you'd be inviting all kinds of evil on yourselves if you hurt me." Todd hissed.

Harry shook his head, "Yet someone else who thinks highly of themselves. If something were to happen to you here, no one would know who did it. Not even any of us would know. You made a mistake showing up here with all these witches and wizards around. He pulled his wand arm up, noticing that his wand was missing; a look of fear crossed his face only to be replaced with a sneer a moment later.

A jet of purple shot forward from his hand, aimed right at Emily. Harry pushed her out of the way while he dove the other way. The spell hit some chairs behind them. Jets of red and blue shot out from all around the tent and when Harry rose, Todd was lying on the ground, not moving. A wizard moved forward, checking for a pulse on the man lying there in the middle of them all. "He's not dead. Get him to St. Mungo's and then take him to Azkaban." Kingsley said. Someone stepped forward from the crowd and disapparated with the unconscious man.

The guests all stood looking at each other, wondering what would happen now. "Let's get on with this wedding, shall we?" George Weasley stepped forward, waving his wand and repairing the damaged chairs. Harry stepped to Emily's side and helped her to stand.

"I'm sorry I pushed you." He said.

"It's okay, Harry. You were protecting me," she said and grimaced as a pain slashed through her side. Harry looked at her concerned, "I'm fine, the baby just kicked rather hard."

They stood and stepped towards the man who would perform the ceremony. Everyone sat and turned their attention forward. "We are gathered here today to witness the union of Harry and Emily." He began.

Emily leaned forward slightly as another pain shot through her belly. Harry noticed and, "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

She nodded, "Let's just hurry this along, please." The man nodded and skipped over the non-essential parts of the ceremony.

Molly and Arthur stepped forward and placed the binding rope around Harry and Emily's entwined hands. "You are bound to each other for eternity. Nothing shall break the bond. We promise to support you in all you do and help you whenever needed." The elder Weasley's were like parents to Harry, and since his parents were gone and Emily's mother was gone, they stepped forward to perform the bond.

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Mr. Potter."

Harry turned to Emily and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. She started to deepen the kiss, but gasped and bent over double as a pain ripped across her abdomen and she felt a slight wetness on her thighs. "Get Healer Michaels." She said through the pain. A crack was heard as someone disapparated to find the healer. Harry picked Emily up and carried her towards the house.

"Where can I take her, Molly?" he asked as he passed the shocked faces.

Molly hurried ahead of him. "Let's set her up in the living room. I'll put out some cushions on the floor and make a place for her to be comfortable." Stepping into the house, they heard a loud crack behind them. Harry ignored whoever it was, concentrating on getting Emily into the house and comfortable to wait for the healer.

"What happened?" Healer Michaels spoke as Harry set Emily down and leaned her back against the cushions that Molly had set out.

"I'm not sure. We were attacked, but I don't think she got hit with anything. At one point I had to push her out of the way of a spell." Harry said, holding Emily's hand and grimacing at the pressure she was putting on it.

Emily breathed heavily, "I fell down at that point and that's when the pains started."

Healer Michaels waved her wand over Emily and clucked her tongue. "Pre-mature labor and it's too far along for me to try to stop it," she said. "Mr. Potter, get behind her and support her back. Molly, I'll need some clean towels and a blanket, some hot water and some scissors. You there, boy, hand me that bag." She said, pointing at Ron. He handed her the bag with shaky hands and bolted out of the room, not having the stomach for seeing this. Hermione took his place and handed the healer things when she needed them. Molly returned with a blanket and towels, levitating a bowl of hot water in front of her. "Thank you," the healer said as Emily cried out in pain from the contraction.

Emily squeezed Harry hand as the pain ripped through her, holding her breath until it passed. "Oh, dear, don't hold your breath. Breathe through the pain, it will help." Molly said, noticing what Emily was doing. Emily looked at her and let out the breath she was holding. That did feel a bit better, not perfect, but not as painful. Healer Michaels smiled and nodded, letting her know that she was doing good. Harry placed a kiss on the top of her head, and held both of her hands in his from his place behind her.

"Okay, Emily, looks like you are ready. With the next contraction, I want you to push down as hard as you can." The healer said, looking into Emily's eyes. Emily nodded and when she felt the next pain, she squeezed Harry's hand tightly and pushed down with all her might. "Good, good, now again with the next one." Healer Michaels said as the pain passed and Emily stopped pushing. The pain came again almost instantly, so Emily pushed down again. "Good, the head is out, rest and then we will push more in a moment." She said, supporting the baby's head while she cleared the nose and mouth allowing the child to breath. Another pain came that had Emily pushing down before the Healer was ready for her to. Before she knew it, the baby had slipped out into her hands fully. Shocked, she turned to Hermione who was holding a towel out and placed the baby in her arms. Taking another towel, she cleaned up the child and then wrapped a blanket around the crying baby. Turning back to Harry and Emily, she presented their child to them, "Your son." Emily smiled, tears running down her face and reached to take her son from the healer. Harry looked on in amazement at the life he helped to create. He reached a shaky hand out and touched his son's forehead.

"He's beautiful." Emily whispered, touching her son's face as Harry touched his forehead. "We've never discussed names." She said, looking up at Harry.

"I'd kinda like to him after my father and godfather, James Sirius, but if you don't want to, that's okay." Harry said, ducking his head in embarrassment.

Emily reached over and placed her hand on his chin and raised his head to look at her. "I think it's a wonderful name, Harry. James Sirius Potter, kinda has a nice ring to it," she smiled. Harry kissed her then.

"I love you, Emily Potter. More than life. I love our little James as well," he said as tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. Hermione and Molly sniffed a little at this, hiding their faces in their hands for a moment. Healer Michaels tended to Emily to finish the birthing process and clean her up.

"Now, Emily, you need to take it easy for a while. Feed him whenever he wants to be fed. He's very small, being 6 weeks early, but that's not a huge deal. He's healthy and just needs to gain some weight. If you need anything, don't hesitate to give me a shout. I do want to see you in a few weeks, but I'll come to you. Floo travel is okay with the newborn, I don't recommend apparition for a while, though," the healer told them. She then stepped to the floo and left.

Hermione and Molly quietly left the living room, leaving the new parents alone with their baby boy. Outside, they were bombarded with questions. Molly held up her hand, "We have a James Sirius Potter now, bonding with his parents. Please allow them time to themselves for a little while. I'm sure they will allow visitors soon."

A cheer rose from the crowd and they all retired to the tent to begin the reception, even though the bride and groom were otherwise occupied. Before long, Hermione appeared and said that Harry and Emily were coming out to the reception with little James Sirius, for everyone to meet, before they headed home. Harry stepped into tent behind her and Emily followed, carrying a small bundle in her arms. They both smiled at their friends and allowed them to gather around to see the baby. Ginny stood off to the side, aggravated that her plan hadn't worked and worried that her family had replaced her with Emily, just as Harry had. After several minutes, Harry moved forward to speak.

"Thank you all for coming to witness our marriage and surprisingly the birth of our child. We will be going now, but I'm sure we will be seeing most, if not all of you soon," he said and then moved back to his wife's side. Emily smiled up at him, shifting their son in her arms. "We should be going and get this little one settled into his new home." She nodded in agreement and they turned back towards the house to floo back home.

Arriving back at their home, Harry ushered Emily and James upstairs to bed to rest. It had been an extremely eventful day and he knew that she must be exhausted. As she sat down on the bed, James began stirring and moving his head towards his mother's breast. He was hungry and with Harry's help she lifted her shirt and began feeding her son. It was a wonderful feeling, knowing that she was giving her son something no one else could. Harry looked on, eager to help if needed. She rested against the pillows he propped up behind her and sighed contentedly, looking up at Harry as their son sucked greedily on her milk. "How did I get so lucky?" she asked.

"I'm the lucky one. You saved me from a life of depression. You've given me this beautiful life here to love. James is a wonderful addition to my life, our life. I feel like I'm in a dream." Harry said. He kissed his wife tenderly and settled in next to her, watching their son as he ate.

Three years later…

Emily stood in the kitchen cooking alongside Kreacher, humming a tune in her head. She had news for Harry and couldn't wait for him to get home. James was playing nearby with a few toys, looking up at the fireplace every few minutes. He loved his father and couldn't wait for him to get home each day. Whenever he heard the fire flare to life, he would jump up and then run straight into Harry's waiting arms. Just then, the fire flared to life and Emily turned to watch as James jumped up and raced to his father who stepped from the fireplace easily and swept their son up into his arms. Walking over to the sink, he placed a kiss on Emily's lips, "Ron and Hermione say hi. She's doing well, the morning sickness is just beginning though," he said, placing James on his shoulders.

"You look tired. Ron's leg still bothering him?" she asked, seeing the bags under her husband's eyes. He was working harder than before, since Ron's accident, taking up the slack that his friend has cause with his absence from work. Harry nodded slightly and then bounced James a little, causing the boy to laugh and scream for more. Harry smiled and began galloping around the kitchen, listening to his son laughing. "Dinner is ready, if you want to change first." Emily said, smiling at her two boys.

"Nah, I'll wait. I want to shower first, and that will take too long, since dinner's ready." Harry said and lifted James off his shoulders easily to set him down at the table for dinner. The family ate dinner, talking animatedly about their day. James telling his father of the games he and Emily and Kreacher had played. After dinner, Harry took James into the library to read a story before bed. After the story ended and James fifth yawn, Harry took him upstairs and met Emily in James' room. The two of them put the boy to bed, telling him that they would play more tomorrow. Sighing softly, Emily placed her hand in Harry's and her head on his shoulder as they walked to their room. He let go of her hand to head to the shower, he felt horribly dirty after the full day at work. He had to actually chase someone today and he didn't like to have to run after people. That made him angrier than he was to start with.

Stepping under the hot water, he let out a huge sigh, allowing the water to wash away all the dirt and soreness from the day. He washed his hair and as he started to put his head under the water to rinse it, he felt soft hands on his shoulders, kneading the muscles. He groaned and allowed her to continue the massage. Emily knew that he had a hard day at work, so she decided to treat him to a massage in the shower, and tell him her news. She worked her hands over his shoulder muscles and moved them down his back muscles. When she felt him relax, she slipped her arms around his waist, rubbing small circles on his stomach. Leaning forward, she put her lips next to his ear and whispered, "What would you say to a sibling for James?"

Harry shivered at the feel of her lips against his ear, and then registered what she was saying. He turned abruptly in her arms and looked her in the eye, "Are you serious? You're pregnant?"

Emily nodded and Harry swooped in and captured her lips in a crushing kiss. "This is the best news I've heard in a long time, Emily. I love you so much and have wanted more kids, but I was waiting for you to bring it up. I didn't want you to feel rushed."

Emily laughed, "Oh, Harry, you aren't going to rush me into anything that I don't want. I want to have your babies, lots and lots of them."

Taking her in his arms, he kissed her again, tenderly. She opened her mouth to him allowing his tongue entry and sighed at the feel. She loved when Harry made love to her; he always made her feel so special, loved and wanted. She would never get enough of that feeling. The water rained down on them, washing the soap out of Harry's hair. The shower forgotten, he pushed her up against the wall and then lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him. He growled and deepened the kiss even more as he sank into her, feeling like he was home. Her warmth enveloped him and after only a few strokes, they both reached the now familiar height and were falling, wrapping their arms around each other and holding tight.


End file.
